“Rain rain go away,
Come again another day,
Little Johnny wants to play,
Rain rain go away."
I learnt this rhyme when I was in my first standard in school. I loved reciting it in chorus with the rest of the class. I would go home and sing it to my mom. Yes, at some point, I had started singing it instead of reciting it. The intonations were such that the rhyme sounded more like a song; I still remember the tune! I don't remember though, if it was Little Johnny or Little Arthur. Doesn’t matter…
This post is not about the rhyme. It isn’t about reason either. :P It is about the rain! A few days ago, I was talking to a friend of mine who was cribbing about it pouring cats and dogs in his city that day.
I immediately exclaimed, "How can you not like the rain?!”
He replied, “I hate getting wet in the rain. I need my warmth and sunlight, any day.”
“You cannot be from India and not like the rain!"
"You haven't lived in Bombay!"
True. I haven't lived in Bombay. But, I have experienced floods, and they have never deterred me from liking the rains. I can spend hours sitting at the windowsill watching the raindrops hit the ground and window panes, just as tirelessly as the raindrops themselves. I like to take an umbrella and take long walks in the rain enjoying the sound (music, rather!) of raindrops falling on my umbrella. I find rainwater washing along the sidewalks to be beautiful! Back in hostel, I used to sit by my window, make little paper-boats and drop them onto the muddy stream of rainwater that flowed along the walls of the hostel building! Not to forget how romantic rains are!! ;)
The other day, it was pouring heavily, and everybody wanted to leave for home before the thunderstorm hit. People were taking shortcuts through the buildings in order to minimize outdoor-walking. I surprised everybody by opening my umbrella and stepping out for a walk! It was a nice 20 min walk. I was smiling throughout, getting strange looks from passers-by. Who cares?! I even decided to get my hair cut that day, much to the surprise of the employees of the empty salon. After tipping the beautician generously, I walked back home, slightly disappointed by the fact that it had stopped raining.
Post-rain is beautiful too. The smell of the earth (ah!), the puddles, the water droplets falling from the leaves, the colour of the atmosphere… Colour of the atmosphere??? No, I am not crazy! The air looks cleaner after the rain and it has a unique hue to it, so unique that I don't know what to call it. Any help will be greatly appreciated and duly acknowledged. :)
Thinking back about the walk, I was wondering if I would have done that without an umbrella. Probably not, and I don’t have a reason for that (nor do I have a rhyme. I told you that this post is not about either!). Actually, I don’t even know if I like it or not, I just haven’t done it ever. When I was a kid, my parents were very particular about me not getting wet in the rain. The slightest drizzle and an umbrella would be right over my head. If I did end up getting wet, I would receive royal treatment at home that day (sounds better when said in Tamil – Rajamariyadhai), but it came after all the scoldings. Hot coffee and warm water at my disposal, my mom desperately trying to dry my hair with a towel and me trying hard not to let that one little sneeze escape my nose - Sigh! Those days!
Anyways, back to where we started – The Rhyme. I still wonder why the rain was asked to go away, and why kids were made to recite that over and over again. I guess I only learnt that rhyme by rote and enjoyed singing it, but never let the meaning get to my head. That’s why, I think, I still love the rain! I pity all those poor souls, like my friend, who actually took the rhyme seriously (:P) and are, hence, missing out on one of nature’s most marvelous phenomena!
If I were to edit the rhyme, this is how it would read:
“Rain rain you are here to stay,
Come again every other day,*
Little Bryan** wants to play,
Rain rain you are here to stay!”
* I thought I will be a little nice to my friend. Sunny days can alternate, but he has to write his own rhyme for that though.
** Bryan doesn't seem to mind; Johnny and Arthur are still fighting. :P
6 comments:
Very surprisingly, I had never before today realized that "rain rain go away" is actually a poem shooing the rain away. It is probably one of those things where you say something, but mean the opposite.
The other day I had a little chit chat about Indian rains, after someone told me there is a thunderstorm prediction. At night when the thunderstorm came, I could not help but let out a "duh!!" alone in my apartment. If that person would have been around, I would have used some more sting and said "you call that a thunderstorm". For me a thunderstorm is not complete without the shattering of a few glass panes.
I have always loved everything about rains, the onset, the progression, the aftermath. Somehow after coming here, I have stopped appreciating it. Probably because rains have a very trenchant quality of bringing back memories, maybe because when it rains I cannot rush out of my room and see my wing mates doing the same and smile at each other, maybe because I cannot clutch at somebody's arms and say "look!!!"
Now for the word you were looking for, I simply call it "rain washed". Not a lot of creativity there though. The word "rain" itself is an adjective for those who can understand it.
I understand why you are not able to appreciate the rain as much as you did when you were back home. The ways in which you enjoyed the rain and the people and the places that formed part of that enjoyment are missing here. In my case, I have always enjoyed the rain by myself. It has always been walks on my own, sitting at the windowsill alone, etc. Luckily, my bed was always by the window in hostel. I will admit though that I miss the natural terrain back home and the smell of that earth.
Thanks for the term. I like it! :)
The natural terrain and the smell of the earth reiterating the fact that I belong there - that is my home!
what a wonderful post. Various shades to a thought and well worded narrative. Kudos! :-)
rains are always lovable in poems, stories and blogs. I somehow always tend to look at the darker side of the phenomenon!
CHeers to you Agi!
Thumb's up! :-)
Aah, the rains!!! ... Well, I used to like the rains a lot before I moved to Pune in 2002. Nice post..
@Anonymous (Himanshu) and Abhishek:
Looks like living in Pune/Bombay has had a negative effect on your love for rains... hmmm
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