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Yearning for rain in the Bay Area
The unrivaled feeling of joyous relief from scorching heat and stifling humidity
California is in the throes of another mulityear drought. The rainy season from November to March has been disappointing. In the Bay Area where I live the rainfall so far has been less than half the normal amount. Every time there’s a forecast of rain we gaze hopefully at the skies for signs of clouds and we get some sprinkles or a gentle silent mist like rain. Throughout the rainy season this year, I have dreamt of the torrential thunderstorms of Bombay ( now Mumbai) where I grew up. A teeming city full of shocking poverty, astronomical wealth, stray animals, perenially snarled traffic and tropical weather, it transforms during the monsoon season into a livable city. Most years there are a couple of days where life comes to a standstill due to the flooding caused by the large amount of rainfall in a short period of time. But for the rest of the four month monsoon season I felt a joyful peace and calm.
Looking back on my childhood and adolescence in Bombay what I recall most fondly is the monsoon season. From early June to mid September the monsoon winds from the southwest bring torrential rain to the city. The feeling of joy and relief one gets from a thunderstorm opening up the skies and pouring a river of rain is…
