Rains in Winter

Picture this; you wake up by curling in more in your blanket. You don’t want the day to start as your droopy eyes look around. Your feet feel cold and there is mist all around. The room is dark and the bed nice and warm. It nudges you to get back into its midst. It can seduce you and pull you in if you don’t use your iron will. You look at the alarm clock and tell yourself that there is still time. As your eyes close, you are dreaming of hot coffee and warm talks near some fire. So perfect! This can only be a dream!

Then finally you wake up when your mom nudges you. You realize that it was a dream after all. Its getting late for office and you trudge along to the basin to start your daily activities. Today doesn’t feel like the day to work! It feels like one should keep sleeping till the New Year! Ah Bliss!

God knows how much energy and will it takes to get out of the house. The cold wind hits your face for a change! It’s not the usual humid sticky sensation, its cold today. Then there it comes. You hold on to your hat as it starts raining! Could things get any worse?

I don’t hate rains. They are beautiful in winter. Like a dream come true. The only thing is that we don’t live in a dream. We can, but we don’t. We live in reality, where there are deadlines to reach and things to finish. I am late for office thanks to my sloppiness. I rush past all the people on the road, when it strikes me.

I look up at the sky and see the beauty that strikes me. The clouds are in different shades of crimson, pink and blues. God must be one mad painter! Mad and terrific, to have painted the sky today! I thank him for the chance to look at his creation and feel the rain drops fall on my face. Was there a touch which was more perfect than that? It’s warm and cold at the same time, like a sensation it spreads all over me as I find myself stopping in my tracks and looking at the sky with my arms out. The people smile as they pass me. Some look with curiosity at what I am staring, some are too busy to bother!

In the train I get the chance to stand near the door. Usually it is to catch some air in the suffocating compartment but today it is more out of instinct. I want to test him more, Want to see more of his miracles. The train catches speed as it dashes along the Vashi bridge. The rain patters hard on the compartment in a struggle with speed to wet everyone in the small compartment. The huge clouds spread all along the horizon and make me wonder if there is a city up there. The dark black clouds seem to be hiding so many secrets; so many mysteries seem to be hidden up there. I remember when I was a kid I had wanted to be up there around the clouds. Someone in the compartment is discussing the rains, they are saying how badly it is raining, How hard it is going to be to reach the office, etc. No one wants to look out. Even the ones standing out like me. They are busy chatting to each other about some irrelevant stuff. I feel the tragedy; while an artist performs the crowd is busy criticizing him and calling him names. They keep teasing him, insulting his art and worrying about trivial matters.

I look with sympathy towards the sky. I thank god for giving me the eyes to see such a beautiful sight. I thank him for everything he has ever done for me. The sun shines out for a split second from the clouds. Did he smile at me?