Few months back, when the hot summer in Kolkata was literally killing - people dropping dead in high noon in mid-street, everyone, myself included was thirsting for the rains. The endless summer dragged on and on, but as all good things and bad things come to a pass - the monsoon strode in - with a bang, and the swish of rains.
It started off with the occassional thundershower, the skies darkening up in the afternoon and the heavens opening with flashes of lightning and peals of thunder - water coming down like the Niagara in full flow. Later on when the monsoon at its peak, it was again the time for grieving.
Starting off with Midnapore, the first casualty of the annual floods that drown the Gangetic plains, the latest is the devastation caused by Koshi Bihar's sorrow, which has left millions homeless. But while a Katrina makes our media wake up and reams of news print are spent on photogenic devastation, a Koshi is just another calamity in the fate-ruled national psyche.
If it is floods, its the Gods who are crazy, and while some would squeakingly protest the lack of basic maintenance of the dams and unhindered siltation of the rivers - the attention span of the news reading class being about 5 seconds - a lascivious scandal like the Aarushi or Nithari killing or some other Page 3 gossip, soon takes its place.
Romaniticizing the rains one lazy wet afternoon...
Rukkho dabo daher porey,
Hapiye otha praner torey,
Askash bhora megha maala,
Borosha eshe juraye jwaala;
O je pran ke vejai, Ton ke shudhai,
Ontoretey dak diye jai,
Uchal ei mon amaar,
Boroshar ei utal bhashai...
Kokhono tapur - kokhono tupur,
Rini-rini baajey borosha nupur,
Guru-guru dunduvi naad,
Shongi paagal haawar alaap;
Somehow, romaniticism ended at this point and the reality of rains in India struck in. There would be floods and solemn pledges of Disaster Recovery mechanisms, but the only cheap article in inflationary India being politicians' words - prices of everything else having gone through the roof, the pledges would be in limbo till the next monsoon.
Kintu borosha je shudhu kobir noi,
Borosha boroi korun, amaar gram banglaye..
Aashbey proloy, shongi plabon,
Aamar deshey boroi shosta jibon,
Ghurbey botshor, bhulbey mon,
Roj ektu ektu korey bechey thaka - eri naam moron...
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