Its raining heavily outside, my house is situated amidst the hills of Pune and it feels so serene to just stare out of my window watching the heavy drops pattering on the glass. The ideal scenario would be sitting by the window sill , sipping a steaming hot cup of tea with a Ruskin Bond novel propped in front of me . All by myself, just the rain for company.
I spent most of my childhood out of India, but always used to be here during the monsoons. Two months of summer vacations were spent at my grandmother's place in a small town of Karnataka. Those days, we didn't have an invertor, or the luxury of electricity 24*7. Many a times during a downpour, we were rewarded with an electricity cut, however ,I really looked forward to those candle lit evenings.
My grandparents, aunt and brother(who was almost always buried deep in his books)gathered in the drawing room in submission to nature's way of putting work to a standstill.
The dimness of light was soon conquered by the brightness of chatter . Everyone would forget their daily routine for a bit and get engrossed in stories each one had to offer.My grand mom's recount of the gossip in our lane, my grand dad, giving us a word or two of wisdom, my brother and I fighting away to glory ... How I used to love the conversations ! My mum still complains as to how I just can't stop my prattle once I start , maybe its a habit that has stemmed in me since I was little .
The years have passed, but everytime it rains I remember those dark yet bright evenings. They bring back memories of times ,when I didn't know of the existence of a laptop. When a computer meant a big machine that big people used,when talking on the telephone with a loved one, brought memories of togetherness and a sudden craving to meet them. I find it difficult to believe how technology has spread its wings over the vast expanse of India in just a span of ten years.
My grandparents still stay there, but now they have an invertor ,and electricity seldom goes off . I haven't visited the town for almost two years and nowadays the longest time I can go for is two days .
My brother is well settled in a city far away, and I don't remember the last time all of us were together in that ancestral house. I can talk to everyone over the phone, its so common now, but there are no rainy laughter filled nights any longer. Everyone has all the luxury in the world, but I yearn for those stories,my grand mother's lap and those bright candles...
