I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
There’s something about Bombay monsoon.
The way the rain just descends upon the landscape like a passionate lover – all thunder and lightning and storm one moment, and soft drizzle and dreamy breezes the next. The muggy moments where the heat of the earth rises into the air in a glorious rush of fragrance. And the soothing caress of a cool sea-wind that hangs, salty and scented, in the aftermath of a sweltering post-rain evening.
It’s dangerous, that kind of a thing.
Makes you think about things you have no business thinking about, contemplate options you wouldn’t dare to consider otherwise and end up doing things with a reckless disregard for stuff like common sense, practicality and rational thought.
Like getting drenched in a thundershower, for instance. A logical thought points out that it’s unwise to do so, due to factors like the high risk of water-borne diseases like malaria, and the common occurrence of the common cold, in this weather. But instead of heeding it, you carefully lock that thought away in a dark corner of the mind (“I want you to sit there and think about what you’ve said!”), and let the other thoughts have their way.
Dangerous thoughts, which dwell over the lovely shivers down your spine, when a sea-wave sprays you with its saline whispers at Marine Drive. Or the unparalleled sensation of biting into a hot bhutta generously doused with lemon, salt and chilly powder, even as the rest of your cold, wet body shakes uncontrollably in the wind. Or the indescribable pleasure of a steaming hot filter coffee (at Coffee House, the best, most authentic kaapi joint in Bombay) swallowed in hungry gulps through chattering teeth. And believe you me, thoughts like these are pretty hard to resist.
Which is why, if you ask any true-blue Bombayite if s/he has experienced romance during the monsoon, they’ll respond with a fervent yes. If you’re single, it’s the romance of longing. If you’re not-so-single, it’s the romance of coupling. If you’re recently heartbroken, it’s the romance of hope and healing. No matter what your current romantic status, if it’s monsoon in Bombay, you’ll find romance. Or something like it.
Either way you look at it, I’m not complaining…