Today, as I woke up, it was raining heavily. After months of strong sun rays, drops of rain have touched the dry. The month of July is knocking on the door with rainy days.

If I were rain,

That joins sky and earth that otherwise never touch,

Could I join two hearts as well?

These lines by Tite Kub swam through the rainwater, whispering hello! in my mind. How beautiful it is to love like rain. Waiting for a whole season to touch your beloved for once. Rain for me is synonymous with romance, literature, poetry, and lots of pondering. I went to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea. The meridian ratio of milk and water with ginger, cardamom, little black pepper, and Tulsi leaves. The perfect vessel for aroma and comfort. Gazing at the rain from my balcony with a warm cup of chai.

I could feel the familiar pleasant smell as I took a sip of tea. I tried remembering the particular word for that smell, but I couldn't. Compelled by human nature, I was trying to find an excuse, but I couldn't even blame it on my age. I went on to look up the glossary on the phone. I found out within seconds that the word was petrichor. The word petrichor means the earthy odour that is associated with the rain. That's the magic of the digital world: everything at your fingertips. Petrichor, how beautiful it is that for everything, every feeling, and every emotion, humans have words. Literature can describe everything. The falling raindrops, the inverted umbrella in the rainy winds, the rhythm of the puddles, jumping with the gumboots.

The weather outside was pleasing, with a breeze touching the ends of my hair and sudden thunder and lightning now and then. The rain was pouring slowly, but it was continuous.

Standing on my balcony, I felt like a philosopher who was keenly observing the people outside. The fragrance of the rain is different for different people. For farmers, it will bring relief; it will bring grief to homeless people, and it will bring rage to someone who has to cancel all the plans and has to stay at home. But it will make people smile who sell umbrellas and raincoats. And most importantly, it will bring happiness to people who dance even in the rain.

The pain, sorrow are a part of life. Life is incomplete without these phases, experiences, and empathy.

At the corner of the street, there was a little boy who was putting a white doll outside the window, maybe to stop the rainfall. In my opinion, he must be inspired by some Japanese anime. As per I know, this tradition is more popular in Japan.

With all these discussions inside my head, I went back to my childhood times, and that nursery rhyme echoed Rain, rain go away! Maybe this time, the scent of rain was trying to bring back the lost child inside me. It took me back to my early childhood when I used to jump in the puddles of rainwater wearing that polka dot kindergarten dress while coming back home. I always loved rain. When a drop of rain falls on leaves for a few seconds, the leaf flutters in the air. This used to make me so happy.

July brings back so many school memories. When we used to return to school after our summer vacation, with those projects and half-completed assignments. One of my school bulletin board works was on rainy days. I remember making fluffy clouds with cotton, tiny drops of rain with the blue sheets, green chart paper trees with brown paper bags as trunks and branches, dancing children holding their umbrellas, wearing colourful raincoats, and decorating it with paper boats and a big rainbow. It was fun and interesting.

The patter of the raindrops, accompanied by homemade masala chai and a book, is my favourite way of spending cozy time at home. I could visualise the comfort and aroma.

I smiled and continued my observations.

The road again has turned to muddy puddles this time. This situation was only at the onset; I could not even imagine the circumstances at the end of the season. I was thinking if this was up to the mark of sensational news for making headlines in a prestigious newspaper or not? Who knows?

Who should be made accountable? The waterlogging, system, people, or rainy season. How long agencies to find someone to blame rather than taking action? A loop of complaints, concerns, promises, and back to point zero. Who wants the happy rain showers to turn into nightmares?

The clouds were covering all over the sky like a sheet of blanket and the sun was hiding inside in a shallow sleep, hearing the lullaby of the mansion. The raindrops falling were carrying letters of longing from the sky, which they will hand over to the earth. The wind was moving elegantly like a ballet dancer. The atmosphere was nice but gloomy at the same time. This plot of weather was perfect for writing some poetry, which I was avoiding because of my busy schedule.

Alas! The pretty rain brought out to me the complex nature of the world. No two circumstances are similar for two people. Everyone has their version of stories. But rainy days are cycles of season, time, or life. Rain is to dance beyond fate, destiny, choices, and circumstances.

With breathing this fragrance of rain, I am trying to breathe out all the sadness, anger, and frustration, and bring the brain, soul, and heart into harmony. The fragrance of rain brought me a perspective of life, some old memories, and a little bit of philosophy. 

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