I would love to share a soothing experience that calmed my tensed nerves. This happened a few years back when I travelled to my aunt’s place somewhere in Rajasthan. The moment we think of Rajasthan, three things come to our mind- royalty, colors and dryness. My stay was for around two weeks or so and we were tired waiting for rains to hit the parched earth. I was busy in exploring various aspects of culture like the Rajasthani dresses, bangles and artificial jewelery, and of course, filling myself with the yummy daal-baati-choorma at home. Do try rose choorma, it is awesome! Anyways, not deviating from the topic, it was a few days later that much to our surprise black clouds gathered up and a soft drizzle was welcomed by the fried souls below. However, it was nothing much and like a cheap deo, faded as soon as it had arrived.
The
next day, my cousin and I were given the task of cleaning the garden (the
gardener had had a small accident) that after some reluctance we agreed to. So
we set up on the task and gathered all the leaves in a heap on one side of the
lawn making the fresh grass look as beautiful as a Kashmiri carpet. The walls
around that big house were covered with bougainvillea flowers and a few other
creepers, some of which flowered in strange colors. The garden, not small by
any standards, was full of various flowers, a few rose plants and more of
others like China Rose (Gurhal), Mogra, Motia, Paarijaat and Marigold,
commonly called ‘genda’ apart from some local varieties. So, after
clearing the patch, we were given a hot cuppa green tea as a reward for our
hard work. Oh! I forgot to add; I leveled the grass too using a grass
cutter while my cousin collected the twigs and heaped them in the corner along
with the discarded leaves and branches, under the cotton plant that stood at a
corner.
Drizzle taps waiting earth
Its salubrious whiff
escapes
I breathe after ages
We both started chatting about the last shopping spree, sipping the reward
when we cheered at dark black clouds laden with the gifts of rain drops
arriving in the sky like a postman arriving with a letter from home in a foreign
land! Needless to say, our happiness knew no bounds! We stayed glued to our
places, praying for a full rain this time and lo! Our prayers were granted. The
downpour was good indeed with heavy droplets hitting our sun parched tanned
bodies! The water was cool and carried with itself a certain comfort that is
hard to describe in words!
We
stayed put enjoying the tap of drops on green leaves, colorful flowers and brown
tree barks. After some time, my cousin went inside while I lay down in the
grass, lost in the pleasure of a particular smell that still lingers somewhere
in my mind. It was not just the soothing whiff that the hot mud releases when
wet; nor it was the typical earthen smell of wet ground but something more,
even more lovely. I realized I was lying near a group of mogra plants,
full in bloom in the pleasant evening! The smell that had literally intoxicated
me was actually the smell of wet earth mingled in the sweet fragrance of mogra,
an engaging, lively and sharp flowery smell. It was I thought something that
gave us the pleasures of both, land and flowers! I kept laying supine there for
a long time, drenched in rain and even after that absorbing the intoxicating
perfume of nature that was instantly created by mixing of two different aromas,
within me and letting it pull me into a comfortable slumber, a certain rest and
calm.
I have a mogra plant at my place and whenever it rains, that day
comes clear in front of my eyes!
Pics
from-
Haiku by me
