Rain and my cravings!

At last it rained in chennai. I am one rain freak. Rain always brings back lot of fond memories. I love to sit at the doorstep leading out from amma's kitchen at home and sip a hot cup of coffee watching the raindrops falling down from the roof. Sometimes i get into cooking and make hot hot banana fry (Thats my favorite when it rains) and me and my sis & brothers will sit on the doorstep biting on to them. I love the smell of damp earth (its is called puthumanam, My achan told me when as a i was kid surprised at this sudden fragrance) that accompanies the first drop of rain on earth.

It reminds me of the wet navy blue school uniforms and umbrellas... of the numerous trips me n my cousins made to those weekend getaways near Kottayam like kuttikaanam, Wagamon, Thekkady and many more. During rains KK Road (Kottayam - Kumily Road) used to have a special charm and we were some 15 kids on a jolly ride from Kottayam to one of these hill stations. On the way we used to stop at the roadside 'chaayakada'. Rain now brings back the taste of the chaayakada special 'paripuvadas' and cups of hot coffee in KK Road.

Much to my amma's headache i used to get drenched standing on the terrace next to my bedroom at home. ( NO that never became a sexy number to neighbours thanks to the fact that this terrace is safely enclosed between walls on two sides and rubber plantation on the other ) But my amma has had to literally drag me out of my crazy rain dances couple of times. My house has one sit out on the first floor which is my favorite room since it brings the outdoors indoor like the interior designers say. If I am not in a drenching mood i will sit in this sit out and enjoy the many moods of rain.

As monsoon kisses the earth softly, it also reminds me also of some of the best ever times i have ever had with my dear and near ones. It reminds me of a feature by name 'kaattile mazha' (Rain in a forest' when translated) that appeared in the Malayala Manorama when I was a kid with bright photographs of Rain shots captured from Iravikulam national park. The rain lover in me treasured that feature and it is still there, a 4 page supplement which is a dull testimony to Silver fish. It reminds me of Sugathakumari's Raathrimazha, a famous poem which was a part of my syllabus in schoool. It reminds me of my trip to nelliyampathy once in monsoon. Suddenly it started raining and me and my friend sita, found ourselves standing inside thick fog which i would love to believe was cloud rather. That was one of the best experiences Nature ever gave me. Rain reminds me also of Shubha Mudgal's hit song, Ab ke sawan. I love the way the video shows life and its small frivolities in that album. A couple finding their much desired privacy as the whole world steps out to welcome rian, a milkman happily letting the rain get into his Bottles making additional profits, a campus romeo making the best of the opportunity by sharing the neighbourhood girl's umbrella... It is such a happy video.

I miss rain here in Chennai. The summer is harsh and unbearable. But this time i guess the clouds stopped on the way to kerala for a minute to shower their mercy on me in chennai for whom a rainy day is still 'one night trip in TVM mail' away. Anyway the clouds finally stopped over Chennai. And once again I am nostalgic. I get my usual cravings again. But banana fry will be too much of a luxory to ask for. The year before, there was a heavy rain in Chennai which made the city flooded and we were stuck in hostel. My tastebuds started calling & we set out to the chettinad hotel nearby (water was reaching till our knees ) and had some really hot n spicy stuff. Last year, me and my colleagues went out to the nearby Cafe Coffe Day (the rich man's chaayakada ) and i treaed myself to scoops of Sizzling chocolate brownies topped with icecream and chocolate sauce. Today I was craving for something hot n spicy. Braving the rains, me and jiby set off to a nearby Punjabi Dhaba. Tandoori chicken followed by Hot Jalebis were awesome along with rains. Thank you jiby!

I love rain. With all the dirty roads and potholes, I will never curse the rains. Let me wish myself many more rains and many such cravings.