A 15 minute Nirvana!

Its evening. The world has turned into a shade of light orange. The electricity in the air is palpable. The wind which was gentle now picks up speed. The clothes hung on the neighbour's roof flutter wildly, wanting to break free. The birds start chirping excitedly. The old newspaper man on the road quickens his pace. I rush to the balcony, leaving behind the book in my hand. The wind chime in our balcony breaks into an oriental serenade. A stray plastic cover on the road silently rises in respose. Like an expert dancer who glides effortlessly across the stage . It moves, sways and prances around gleefully, beyond the reach of the excited dog below. Then then after a while, as though it felt bored, it silently settles down on the street. A few leaves now takover the stage. Not elegant ballet girls, but like the new breed of energetic vibrant dancers. they wildly chase each other in circles ans rise higher with alacrity. Yes! its going to rain now.

I strech my hand out to feel the drops. Nothing yet. But I hear the thunder. And then comes the flash of lightning brightening the dull facades around. The wind picks up speed. And then it starts. Tiny aimless drops at first. Sporadic and quick they are signs enough for the dog to get up and take shelter below the stairs. The smell of wet earth is intoxicating. I try to gulp as much air I can before my lungs would burst. And now the drops get bigger, gathering momentum as they come down. Its pouring now. Everytime it rains I try to listen to the different sounds the water makes. The chatter on the window panes, the hissing on the hot tin roofs, the splatter on the narrow steel railings, the babble in the gutter. Nature has music. We just dont have the time to appriciate it.

The water is rushing down the street now. From every staircase, every tree, every nook and corner water gushes out. A rapid stream is formed on the street. The leaves and the cover are no more to be seen now. I wonder about the rains in the mountains. Our Lives are so much like the water which flows down them. When we are born, we are like those tiny drops ...innocent and beautiful. And then we grow up like those wild rivulets, fast, energetic and making new paths. Then when we develop like the rivers on the plains, slow, huge, focussed and life sustaining. And then we fade into oblivion like the rivers joining the endless oceans. And then, I dont know, maybe, grow into the tiny droplets and rain on the mountains again.

I cant contain my excitement anymore. I rush up to the terrace. I spread my arms and rise my head to the sky. The water hits my face hard. Almost like a splinter. IT cant see anythig through my glsses now. I can feel it running down my neck, my back, my legs. I shiver for a moment in the cold.,but then the water soothes me. I feel purged, I feel fresh, I feel...alive! The rain has thinned down now. I slowly walk down the stairs. The water droplets are glistening like tiny pearls at the tips of the leaves. The trees seem to be smiling. People are slowly moving back onto the road. The lazy dog however prefers to stay on the cozy rag below the stairs. My mom yells out that coffee is ready. I give a huge sigh and walk down the stairs.

Its a beautiful world. :)