The Monsoons are still the lifeline of India. In a country where almost 60% of the population is dependent on agriculture, we are yet to develop a system that helps the farmers in year round irrigation of our fields. The term, Jis desh mein Ganga behti hain becomes almost a joke as most of our farmland depends on the monsoons to water their fields. Do you remember Lagan? The expectation and disappointment on the face of the villagers as the dark monsoon clouds pass by them without shedding a drop of its moisture?
I have always loved the rains. While in school, it was the hope of a rainy day, at home it’d be the hot pakodas as the rain kept falling in torrents, in Pilani it’d be the time to go crazy and take out the cycle and roam all around campus drenched and happy while in Bangalore, it’d be the time to run between the shades and optimize the safest route to class.
The monsoons this time have been different. Two days of incessant rains made me come face to face with the hard realities of the Indian way of life. We need the monsoons. A huge customer base is waiting for the same with bated breath as it’ll be the monsoons that will bring in a good harvest resulting in more expendable income. However, everything comes with a fee. The conditions under which the sales field force has to work are harsh. The garbage that was once at the side of the road is now all over the ‘road’ if you can call it so. The drains overflow, the shops are deserted. Everyone’s waiting for the rains to stop so that the customers can come in and in this torrential rain, the field force is out making sure everything that India might need is on the shelves. And all this while, they never curse the rains. They know it is what will bring smiles back on to the face of India after a merciless summer.
I have always loved the rains. While in school, it was the hope of a rainy day, at home it’d be the hot pakodas as the rain kept falling in torrents, in Pilani it’d be the time to go crazy and take out the cycle and roam all around campus drenched and happy while in Bangalore, it’d be the time to run between the shades and optimize the safest route to class.
The monsoons this time have been different. Two days of incessant rains made me come face to face with the hard realities of the Indian way of life. We need the monsoons. A huge customer base is waiting for the same with bated breath as it’ll be the monsoons that will bring in a good harvest resulting in more expendable income. However, everything comes with a fee. The conditions under which the sales field force has to work are harsh. The garbage that was once at the side of the road is now all over the ‘road’ if you can call it so. The drains overflow, the shops are deserted. Everyone’s waiting for the rains to stop so that the customers can come in and in this torrential rain, the field force is out making sure everything that India might need is on the shelves. And all this while, they never curse the rains. They know it is what will bring smiles back on to the face of India after a merciless summer.
3 comments:
Hav always loved the monsoons....grown up whr it used to rain like 3 quarters of the yr..sometimes its just fun to get wet in the first rains,tht smell of wet earth..petrichor....and at othrs,to snuggle even more comfortably under the blanket wid a cup steamin coffee n ur fav buk or movie....u kind of put the monsoons in yet another perspective...interesting...
Pooja
I too believed in the romanticism of monsoons. Somehow I guess with life we grow up. Don't know if that's a good thing or bad.
I think the idea of inter-linking rivers could help address this to a large part, but you know the kind of opposition it has run into. Thing is, anything you do, there will be detractors. The belief is, dont do anything ... Status quo is sacred.
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