The Magic of Rain

The rain had done it again.

Ah, how beautiful! The moment I stepped out of the house, my eyes glimpsed something in a tiny alcove in the tree. It was a baby owl, peering right into me. It did not protest when I quickly clicked a picture, but continued looking at me, unblinking.

The mangy dogs usually lounging lazily, an eloquent picture of canine sloth, were full of canine vigour. No energy drink, no nutritious food had done it.

It was the rain.

As I stepped out, an amiable riot of pups greeted me, rolling and yelping at my feet in an exuberance of canine  affection, as if they were meeting me after many days. Having showered their affection on me, it was now a man who caught their attention. When last seen, they were chasing the poor man who had surreptitiously crept out of his apartment, to upturn his over-flowing dustbin into the neighbour’s compound. They pounced at him, as he looked sheepishly in my direction, trying to chase them away.

Even the tiny sparrows were dancing in rhythm to the onomatopoeic sounds. Big time.  The wrens, the mynas, the pigeons – even the yodels of the pigeons had turned lyrical.

I am sure, every morning, I had seen one sparrow, perched lazily on a telephone wire, not even answering the advances of another sparrow. Today she was all a-twitter. I watched with bemused wonder as she swooped down on a Pulsar, and sat there admiring herself in the mirror, every other second, puffing up her feathers and having another look, twirling before it with a narcissistic ardour.

Chirp, chirp, went the sparrow, merging its trills with the pitter-patter of raindrops. From somewhere, a koel, the invisible songstress, trilled with full throated ease. It was too early for the raucous sounds of traffic to reign, so the koel’s song rained on, soothing ears, calloused with election rhetoric.

Morning Meanderings by Dr Santosh Bakaya

A lapwing sitting on the wall, started calling to its mate for some fun time. The mate appeared from behind a tree, a tiny lapwing in tow. The one sitting on the wall, swooped down and now the threesome frolicked in the rain. One of the pups tried to chase them away, but the lapwing family continued to swagger, unfazed by the pup’s yelps.

Left with no other option, the pup also became part of their fun and frolic, successfully hiding its disappointment under staccato bursts of reluctant merriment.

Many cars which had badly needed a wash, now stood, gleaming.

As I headed home, after one round of the compound, an indiscriminately affectionate pup, lay flat at my feet whimpering and yelping, sending up little showers of wet gravel, with its wild tail, which went thump-thump- thump.
‘Don’t go yet,’ its eyes seemed to plead, and it even blocked my path as I headed towards the stairs to my house.
The other three pups raced each other in insane bursts of riotous fun across the road, showing the sleepy world what speed really was all about.

Peewit…peewit ….. The lapwing family also joined the chorus.

I disentangled the pup from between my legs, and retraced my steps.
I was back on the rain-drenched ground. The pup embraced me with its forelegs. Expressing gratitude?

(Owl pic: Santosh Bakaya)
(Illustration: Antara)

Watch this space for more Morning Meanderings every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. 🙂

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About the Author

Santosh Bakaya ( 175 Posts)

Dr Santosh Bakaya is the author of three mystery novels for young adults, and a book of essays titled Flights From My Terrace, which was recently published as an e-book on Smashwords. Her poetic biography of Mahatma Gandhi, Ballad Of Bapu has been published by Vitasta Publishers, Delhi, India in May 2015 and has been receiving rave reviews from everywhere. Although a Political theorist, with a doctorate in political theory, it is literature which has been her first love. She was awarded the Reuel international award for language and literature 2014 for her long poem Oh Hark!, which forms part of the Significant Anthology. Many of her poems have figured in the highly commended category in Destiny Poets, a UK based website and many are part of international anthologies. Right now, she is giving the final touches to her satirical novel, tentatively titled Sanakpur Shenanigans.
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