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ShareKicking up mud at the football field. Chasing a beloved in a convertible car. Hitching rides back home. Ritika Kumar talks to a cross-section ofpeople about what monsoons mean to them
Rains were about romance and long drives
As a kid, I would run around in the rain wearing just a shameez (cotton pinafore). "You will catch a cold if you don't come in now," my mother would bellow from the door.
I vividly remember a day, Anupam had to meet me. It was pouring and he was stuck at Bandra, while I was at Carmichael Road. I was sure he wouldn't make it. Suddenly, the door bell rang and there he stood, drenched, in his blue-and-green checked shirt. He had walked all the way without an umbrella. That was what rains were about then, romance and long drives... You always wanted to hit the roads.
But now, even if I have to travel a short distance, I think of excuses to evade it. What do you get, anyways? Foul smell and traffic.
Kiron Kher is an actor
Monsoons are just so beautiful
The rains are just so beautiful!During my school days in Kolkata I remember walking into class, drenched. They would be sent back home to dry and I would attend class wearing a piece of cloth. Imagine sitting amidst so many girls and boys with no clothes on! Once, I was working with Rajesh Khanna and it rained so heavily at night and our cars broke down. We walked up to Tilak Bridge and finally got a lift from a police van back to home. Another romantic memory, I have, of rains is when, we were in Mahabaleshwar. My wife and I were in separate convertibles and I was chasing her while it poured heavily. It was so romantic.
Shammi Kapoor is an actor
It was all about playing football
My association with the monsoons in Mumbai has definitely changed over the years. Earlier, monsoons were all about playing football but now I find myself worrying whether we are prepared for a situation similar to July 26, 2005. I hope everybody takes precautions so that we can avoid another deluge. Rains have always been a huge relief after a harrowing summer. It breathes life back into the city. But the way we are going, unplanned, it turns into a disaster. Methods like rainwater harvesting could help us bring the situation under control and the rains will be welcomed by Mumbaikars, wholeheartedly.
Darryl De Monte is a journalist, author and an activist
They are synonymous with traffic jams
I am not a rain person at all. I have never been one. For me, rains in Mumbai are synonymous with traffic jams. It was drizzling the other night and the traffic came to a standstill. I know people love sipping a cup of hot tea or coffee in the monsoons, but I don't fancy that either. The only thing I do on a rainy day is curl up in my bed and read a nice book. Thankfully, I can do a lot of that now. I have one distinct memory of the monsoons. In my 20s, when I was full of energy and new to the city, my friend and I would often hitch a ride back home. And we had our own preferences -- we would hitch only big cars of colours that matched with our dresses.
Dolly Thakoreis a theatre personality
A magic spell on sensitive people
Rains are very eagerly awaited by most of us. It has a magical spell on sensitive and romantic people. To some, it brings smiles; in others, it evokes sordid memories. In my photographs, I have always tried to capture rains in their full intensity with people as subjects. I love to relish hot jalebis and pakodas with the colour and the flavour of tea. I cherish long drives in the rains. The idea of enjoying the monsoons with someone special is tempting. Rains give you a few chosen romantic moments and for me life is nothing without romance. But, as they say excess of everything is bad. Rains do cast a magic spell but when it floods, they spell plain disaster.
Raghu Rai is a photographer
