Clouds in Cars and other Conversations

Since I was young, I have had a great number of interesting experiences with clouds. There was one infamous incident where my family and I were on a car driving up in the mountains on our way to Cherrapunji, the place which receives the most rainfall on earth and we drove so high up into the mountains that fog entered our car. Later of course, my parents converted that story into an adorable anecdote of childlike innocence by saying that a cloud entered our car and I tried to catch it. According to their version, they then informed me that I was told not to squeeze the cloud too hard otherwise it would begin to rain.

My favourite thing to do when it rained in Bangalore was to go up on the roof. Of course, what I did on the roof varied with the time of day or night that it was. If it rained in the afternoon, I liked to go up there and just stand and look melancholy. Whereas if it was night, pitch black and there was a thunderstorm, I loved to stand on top of the rock platform. Sometimes, I would even copy my brother, who would look up and yell, "Is that the best you can do?"

If I was in school when it rained, I would go and splash in all the little puddles that I came across. And dance, twirling endlessly and then of course try and sing opera.

Of course, here in the West (where I am right now), they don't appreciate rain. Here, rain is something to avoid. Something to shelter from. They have never experienced the joy of the first rain after months and months of dry and dusty summer heat. Of summer hail. Of that wonderful fresh earth smell. If there is one thing I would love to share with anyone, it is that smell, that fragrance. It is heaven on Earth.