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The Magic Called Mumbai Monsoons!

I know that's too many 'M's in the title, but, all of them stand out very beautifully and separately from the others.

Each, a marvel in its own way. And what amuses me is how the 3 of these combine together to create a wonderful aura!

Mumbai. The financial capital of India, among others, and the city I have been born and brought up in. The city that I love so much and the city which never fails to amuse me. It's one of the world's biggest metropolitans. And reasons it's famous are many. Though, from all of these, one of which stands apart from the rest is its Monsoon and rains... Mumbai's monsoon!

Often suggested, the best time to be in Mumbai is during its monsoon. The whole demographic and life of Mumbai is in a different place then... Leaves most speechless. Even me.

The first monsoon showers for Mumbai happened the evening before last. And I had the chance to witness the marvel in itself. The first rains of Mumbai!! Here's to that amazing one hour...

I was standing at the window, watching across it to the opposite building and the cloudy sky above it. I knew it was gonna rain. I could feel it. Began working on my laptop. Read tweets from celebs in the southern part of Mumbai talking about the advent of rains there. Almost 15 minutes later, I could hear the thunders to the far west... It had begun to drizzle! I could see children running to the terraces of their respective buildings, housemakers scrambling to get the clothes drying on the window clothline inside, and could feel the smile on my face... It was time. Mumbai monsoon was back.

And within no time, it began raining... Heavily... I texted a few close friends with whom I was interacting then that I would talk to them later... And ran straight to the terrace... The feeling when the first drops of rain trickled down my face, played maze through my hair, and wet my clothes, was... Amazing. It was ecstatic, euphoric, happy, joyous and what not! Still, these words can't completely describe that feeling. You have to feel it, to know it.

Couldn't stop gazing at the orange sky... Wondering how it rained from within the sunny sky! Mist surrounded the far-ends of the city... The railway headlight was visible dizzying away... Almost every door and window of the trains were shut. I couldn't help but laugh at those people who didn't want to enjoy the first rain...

Through the water, memories, moments, people, situations and events seemed to have a flash back in my mind... The gushing winds hitting the face... The striking of the raindrops with force against the eye-lids... Blissful. Sometimes, the pain you get when the raindrops hit your face with amazing force seems like a punishment that you don't want to get through. At others, it's sheer pleasure.

Suddenly, the sun set and I could see the colours of the sky change swiftly from orange to silver to dark gray... And that's when I returned back home...

Had hot dosas and sandwiches with friends... Followed by onion bhajias (in Mumbai's lingo, better known as kanda bhajji) back at home to relish the beautiful combination of hot, spicy food in the cozy, rainy weather...


And sometime in between all this, a few tears did escape my eye too. While I was enjoying the pouring rain... I still don't know why I did. I had numerous smiles, but when and why these few tears came by, I don't know.

Nothing special about it, it may seem. Just an experience as anyone would enjoy the rain, right? Well, it wasn't. It wasn't just about the rains. It was about the millions of memories associated with it. It was about the people with whom you've talked about monsoon. It was about the dreams I had to spend time in the monsoon. It was about the minutes and hours spent waiting for it since the last time it came by... It was about everything else, too. It always is. It's about happiness. It's about love. It's about washing away the sadness. It's about a celebration.

It's something much more than just a rain... It's a way of life...

You may even think that just because it was the first rain, it was so. False. Every time it rains, it's the same for me. The same feeling of gaiety. The same moments that I want to relive. The same places I want to be. The same people... Yes, I do curse the rain at times, too. But, that's just a one moment thing. It's more about the magic monsoon leaves me with.

It never ends with the rain... It's a feeling that you take with yourself, for the rest of your life... It's the magic of it which surrounds your life...


It's magical how this season can spell-bound anyone. That too, beyond limits. Beyond many limits...

It's the realms and dreams of a beautiful day, the way hope refills in us, the way we feel happy that's so magical about it... Yes, most of us love the monsoon. Beyond the wet clothes, wrong timed rains, wet footwear, puddles of water, cold, cough and fever that usually follows, we all love it...

Happy monsoon, everyone! Hope you enjoy it in the ways that may make it a perfect and memorable season for you!!

P.S.: Those who network from Twitter, don't forget to tag your Mumbai Monsoon tweets with #MumbaiMonsoon!

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