Midnight Rain

The northeast monsoon opened its doors with a bang of a thunderstorm and rain ever like before in the last three years, beginning from midnight to dawn, it poured near 200mm of rain in a brief time. The rain flooded the roads of Chennai city (yesterday) within an hour or two of the downpour, though it drained hours later into the day, the rain at night was such forceful to increased the risk of water entering our home as our terrace got flooded. The overflowing water that cascaded through the staircase filled the balcony and came close to the threshold.

Our threshold is less than an inch high (which we kept it low to allow the wheelchair to cross easily) had come boon in blocking the water, while our uncle’s portion, at the other end of the balcony, with a two-inch threshold, couldn’t stop the water from entering their home! They were busy throughout the night, pulling the water out of their living room since their balcony is a slight decline from ours, the water easily flows into their side to flood the home. And it’s a usual thing that happens with them, whenever it rains forcefully, but before it extends, we need to workout it sooner.

The night was roaring in a thunderstorm and a kind of laser show in lightning. Though I didn’t wake up to see all that happens outside, the sound of the activities and flash of lights conveyed me the drama. The garden of the house (pic above) opposite us was in stagnant rainwater, and it took nearly a day to recede. The metro water workers had dug a couple of digs (pic below) on our street, to clean up the drinking water pipes that was going on for some days, had messed up the place with heavy rains. The meteorologists predicted heavy rains further into the day, but as usual, the weather went in contrast to what they said, and there wasn’t rain after that.

It Rains

It rains as if never going to rain

A trial of the northeast monsoon

Draw trail as if clearing the way

For heavy rain to run down the drain.

 

The day was brighter and sunny

To ever think of raining

Until silvery clouds float in  

To become gloomy and rain.

 

The pitter-patter of rain

Continue its rhyme, wordlessly  

like a kindergarten kid, I

rejoiced singing along the rain. 

The beautiful sunny day in the morning contrary to rain in the evening.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

My Experience with Megaphone

There were the days, during the elections, or kind of emergencies, people speak through the megaphone to draw attention or warn people of the upcoming danger.  Sometimes they speak live on the mike, other than playing the recorded voice of the announcement while coming around the streets in the autorickshaw to let people know. The same applied to the announcement of polio drops, every year, had now become a common use by hawkers in selling their items instead of shouting out the throat.

To my memory, I first heard the recorded voice (used by street vendors) was the silk lace buyers in bikes, in urging tone buying old silk lace of any kind at a reasonable price. And regardless of Sundays, they used to wander our street playing the recorded voice as disturbing the leftover peace, and many a time they stop near our home and playback the audio aloud.  Following their footsteps, I heard the same in different words from the sellers of Idiyappam – a rice noodle dish from south India, Kolamavu (chalk or rock powder used for drawing Kolam, a design drawn in front of the houses as an invite to home), Knief grinders; and many others on the track. 

During the lockdown days, some vendors came on the street selling veggies in mini-trucks, as coming out of the home has been restricted, these vehicles pull off the doorstep and their playback is something constant and without a break is a headache. Glad they aren’t often these days after the announcement of relaxation; though I care for their livelihood, the noise they create was a nuisance. Today I found an interesting thing happening right outside the home, where a north Indian hawker, with a bike, loaded with door and floor mats were adjusting his megaphone. And I just watched what he was doing as he handed over the megaphone to a vegetable vendor, who parked on his side speaks over it like one mat 20 rupees, two mats 50 rupees’ in his familiar tone of selling vegetables in Tamil.

It’s apparent that he doesn’t know Tamil and though he may understand, his trouble with colloquial forced to use him on his behalf. He playback the megaphone as the vegetable vendor moves a little,    turned back to respond with a smile. I moved the way hawkers helping each other even if it was a little bit of this. I think about the many vendors who ventured into the south Indian states (or any other state with different languages) to speak or understand, this kind of help from the fellow vendors will improve their business, and hope to survive out of their town. And this is what inspired me to write the post – my experience with megaphones.   

Sync with Squirrels

Saturdays and squirrels always sync with me and I have mentioned it a few times in this blog itself and this unity works out from childhood to till date when I spot a couple of little squirrels chasing one another like kids try to defeat either in a running race or like players running endlessly on the ancient walls in Temple Run, on the extended arm of the rain tree, the guys hurried down to disappear in seconds. They look perhaps siblings who chase another for silly things as kids do and there’s no wonder as they are younger to be in a playful mood.

I have always seen the little squirrels running around the Rain and Indian tulip tree opposite our house but not sure which one of the two. Another day I saw a little one eating the pods of the tulip tree while dangling on the edge of branches.  Squirrels are everywhere and only we have to look out if want something fun with nature and squirrels is great entertainers and I enjoyed them more when I was close to the ground before moved to the first floor of our house.  The houses we moved in the past had squirrels wander through the yards and I’m enthused to shoot squirrels in my camera and I have also seen the worst of a black cat killing a Lil squirrel while I was capturing it.

The Indian palm squirrel you see in photos was way a few weeks back and was nibbling on the leftover rice on the wall beneath the tulip tree. The squirrel was quite alert while eating the leftover making quick trips up and down the tree when it feels fear and I got these cute close-up shots from the maximum zoom of my Canon point and shoot cam. Hope you like the little acts of the squirrel. Have a nice weekend. 

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Despite I Smile

How long should I pretend to be happy?

To smile, while I actually couldn’t

Just like the smiley yellow ball - stress reliever

I was squeezed to smile.

While I pass through various emotions

The heart hurts the most, to break up

Despite creamy layers of joy or love try to forget

The scars remind me of the same.

And I tried to keep emotions at bay

But like a gale, I was pushed ashore

To pause and pursuit the same

To, lash repeatedly into the shore. 

Sunday Afternoon

In the silence of the afternoon

a squirrel screeched from the bushes

neither signaling its mate nor scared of prey

went silent later, as if it ended either way.

Rolling of the brass cuboid dice

the metal sounds from another side

slide me down the memory lane, like fall colors

memories of a cheerful period fall back.

A flock of birds in the background babble

indicates the return of the yellow-billed babblers

the crazy noisy guys, who always hangout to ground

kept me from joining, as I lifted to the first floor.

A sound of the saw at a distance

came distracting me as rooster began its crow

the day reached its edge and a sip of tea

lighter the evening, as the sun, drops its glow.

The Sunlight

It feels good to get warm in the sun

Months after its migration

The shadow over the balcony deviated

To give way to sunlight

Though I miss the cool shadow

I cherished through the summer

My body badly needs some sunlight

To supply with its nutrient

The sunlight becomes mandatory

Igniting some senses to upbeat

As I venture into the sunlight

The illumination of the sun

Is bright enough to light up the living room

While the daylight dims earlier. 

The Moon

She moves into my sky

In her usual way of silence

Though she sings for,

Only solos could be heard

Becomes a mood changer

While I fight the invisible   

That tries to pull me down

In the usual way, it was

Altered my night, to quiet and pleasant                    

As she’s a wonder and to be not

Her magnificent white 

Always remains an angel in my world

For me to believe in a force

Like men attracted to women

And women for the same

The Moon remains an illusion

To illuminate the night

The heart longs for. 

Sunday tale – a trip to Mamallapuram

I got an opportunity or I agreed to take a short distance ride on Sunday, after so long days of not coming out of home – for nearly seven months I held myself inside the home, other than looking out from the balcony. Glad we moved here, to our native house, a year and a half early to the pandemic starts so I have this benefit of watching from the balcony what is not possible in our previous house in backstreet with least activities on road. Lockdown days were quiet and pleasant here, but the relaxations lately made it very noisy. Back to Sunday, we accompanied our extended family for a temple visit in our ancestral town Mamallapuram, as per our family tradition, visiting this goddess temple has been made mandatory when a marriage is fixed.

The busy ECR on Sunday in the shadow of trees. This is part of road beyond Mamallapuram towards Pondicherry.

Yes, my brother’s engagement is fixed at the end of this month and so was this visit. I’m not a believer in god exist but I still accompany my family to temples as long it takes me out or traveling. We hit the east coast road (ECR) early morning but the ride wasn’t fun and comforting as well, as I had to wear a mask all the time even though I pull down to chin often it lacks freeness. I now understand how difficult it must be for those who go to work, wearing the mask all the time and while I couldn’t sit freely, I wonder how tough it is to do tasks with masks!

I couldn’t see any great changes on ECR other than closed amusement parks and tourism and entertaining hubs but the traffic was unusual for the time 6.30 in morning. I saw many cycle riders on the ECR, enjoying the cool morning weather, while quietly pedalling on the left side of the road unlike a lot on motorbikes vrooming and terrifying the other bike/car riders. We extended our ride another 25km from Mamallapuram to visit another family deity temple. Due to the pandemic and lockdown the government has restricted any rituals, so my family simply visited and worshiped the deities in the temples.   

One of the temple is located amid palm trees and farm lands, a km away from ECR main road

I sat in our SUV quite after a year gap, because only last October we left the car for interior tinkering and painting which was delivered only a week early to lockdown in March so I didn’t had any chance to travel or sit in the car. My trip to Amirthi Zoological Park (Vellore) in February happened in my uncle’s car and it’s the only trip I had this year where I drove for a 150 kms. My travel to Mamallapuram on Sunday was a half day trip and our breakfast was brought from a relative’s house there and we returned home by noon for lunch. It was good to travel even it was for a short distance of 70 km but for a travel enthusiastic this gives a bit joy and I hope the pandemic is over soon so that I travel every length.

Random Rant

I know

And I obviously know

Nothing stops for anything

And anticipation is sick.

Up and down is nature

Like high-low tides in the sea.

Never estimate anybody

Because, they unseen what you saw.

To pretend to be intelligent

It’s unfair to tap down somebody.  

Nobody knows everything

And sky’s the limit

Beneath it, everyone’s the same.

October for Me

 

October, often reminds me of Mahatma Gandhi’s specs perhaps because the O – the first letter of the month October – resembles the shape of Gandhi’s specs and moreover October 2nd is Gandhi’s birthday and it could be the reason to connect O with his specs. Gandhi’s birthday is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanthi and we’re proud to say he’s the father of our nation!  

October Sky is one of my favourite movies and the teens experiment with rockets in the movie reminds me of the childhood days as kids when we explode firecrackers and the Indian festival of light, aka Diwali or Deepavali also often fall on the month of October is appropriate to connect. Diwali is a festival that we could not be far from fireworks or firecrackers and it is fun to play with those and watch rockets boom the sky with light and colours stroke a chord of sight.

Ayutha Poojai is another childhood delight that falls in the month of October this year. The festival celebrates weapons or tools, is conducted to maintain and cleans the machineries that helps in production and day-to-day activities will pull-off for a day or two to give rest to them and worship for the wellness of machineries and business. I grew up watching my uncle’s garage as our home was adjoined then and putting a step outside the home is left into the garage. So I don't need to say how well I put on delight during the Ayudha poojai festival which is celebrated as a family festival that please me when I join the employees  in decorating and cleaning the workshop. The festival was so delightful until my uncle was alive (he passed away in Dec 2001) and later they celebrated the festival but the spirit went missing. You can check the link here to read how delightful the festival was then.

October is the starting season of Northeast monsoon which bestows with rain across south east India and dipping of temperature makes favourable weather for traveling. Except for the areas along the Western Ghats, the Tamil Nadu experiences hot weather across the plains and it is from Oct to Feb the weather turns cooler. And it was the time I love to travel as it is a pleasure to do the same with windows rolled down rather using AC – only for highways cruising and dusty roads – the weather out here is inviting for a ride but I do remember the pandemic isn’t over.  I wish at the same time the monsoon flourishes this year at least to say 2020 wasn’t drought!

Hope all is well at your side and great month ahead.