A Pluviophile’s (rain lover) Diary

Dear diary,

It’s cramped up inside and that bothering ring in my ear. I’m already bored of the white outside, even though the cotton candy clouds muster into a picturesque horizon… then in the spur of a moment I see the white turning grey and the grey turning black, the clouds were like sorcerers draped in majestic grey robe adorned with ravishing blue lightning. And there it was, the city beneath covered in a misty blanket of crystal drops.

My mind swans to the thought, why do people refer to it as grey days? I believe monsoon is of the most romantic seasons…just the smell of first drizzle doesn’t that make your heart want to love endlessly! Or the inexplicably beautiful feeling of dancing to the rhythm of falling rain .Look out the window, its pouring love, go on take your sweetheart’s, hand walk in the rain and let the clouds be cupid.

There’s a ping in my ear, the announcement says we shall be landing now…landing in the city full of color, chaos, music and people. Kolkata and rain, just the sound of it is sheer paragon. I think I’m gonna take a taxi, one of those blazing yellow colored one’s, gives you the feel of Kolkata. Taxi is cutting through the puddles, I put my head out and the moist wind carrying the memories of music, art and revolution caresses me, it as if relieves me of the longing I had all these months for this feeling of belonging. How could I take no notice of those old retro styled plastered but bewitchingly beautiful buildings wet in heaven’s tears, standing right there as a witness of the journey of this city from Calcutta to Kolkata.

While I feel the drops of heaven touching my fingertips it takes me to a flash back of last monsoon- one indolent afternoon I decided to explore the city and ended up in a knee deep puddle of shyambazar, well if I hadn’t almost swam across that puddle, I would have missed out on a lively experience and an exquisite foot massage. Well, Mitra café’s was absolutely worth the float.

My reverie is suddenly broken by the enormous towering pillars of Howrah Bridge, painted on the grey canvas embellished with crystal droplets. It’s the F.M in the background with a retro song “hume tumse pyaar kitna ye hum nahi jantee...magar jee nahi sakte tmhare binaa”, perfectly fits in, isn’t it! And there goes my heart reminiscing how much it loves this city in monsoon.

Pop! Goes my dream bubble, gotta take a train, three more hours left of my journey. I’m midway through midnight train at Deoli with Ruskin bond when my trance is broken by a very familiar smell, the next thing I know I’m standing at the door gazing at endless meadows glossed with morning drizzle, breathing in the heady scent of wet grass and sand.

I get down at my station, steal a glance at the resplendent sky dappled with dark clouds and a colossal drop lands on my face, soon the entire sky was descending. Ever closed your eyes and felt crystal drops on your face? It’s utterly mystical…I open my eyes and across the tracks on the other side of the platform I see the familiar warm face with those smiling twinkly eyes, I’ve missed you mom.

Coffee in hand and intoxicating monsoon outside, tonight I’m gonna sleep all warm and cozy with the rain singing me a lullaby. I smell biryani, its mum calling out…I’m home J

Good night!

A Journey Through The Clouds

You know i never believed in love at first sight, i used to find it impossible that how a person can be captivated by or become enamored of someone in just a blink of an eye, how just a second later your heart is no more erratic, it's no more idle, for now it finds all the revelry and bliss in the thoughts of that enchanter. But it was just until I was ushered to this angelically beautiful place Sandakphu, cause when I woke up that morning of 9th December'13, I utterly, unconditionally fell in love with this place.

"Traveling- It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller" ~ Ibn Batuta

After months of planning, packing, cancellations and last minute changes finally the most anticipated trip of mine to Sandakphu began on 6th december. First phase of the trip was Darjeeling, on the way to this mesmerizing city you'll behold the breathtaking emerald curves of river Teesta... believe me I have never in my life savoured water so sparkly and air so lucid, so fresh. Once you are in the company of mountains it takes a while to get the city air out of your lungs, I actually found the air so delish that I just couldn't get enough of it. Darjeeling is a complete city amidst the mountains, one of my favorite spots here is "the Chowrasta", it's like a meeting square where you can lounge on the small wooden benches with a warm cup of tea and an enticing view of the clouds subliming into the radiant Kanchengjunga. And for dog lovers like me, friends! Darjeeling has the cutest, the fluffiest and the most adorable dogs in the world...I sure am gonna miss all of them.

Next step to Sandakphu is this exhausting and long road trip, but I bet you'll forget every jolt every bump along the road once you gaze out the window. The road to Sandakphu reveals a transcendent, completely mystical world... it is so bewitchingly beautiful that for a moment you are convinced that maybe you hit your head somewhere in a bump along the road and passed out and all of this infront of your eyes is nothing but a dream. The forest is sedating, so calm and the clouds gracefully clamber into the scenery. The lush green valley flaked with balletic movements of snowy white clouds and the mountains that have seen untold sunrises and sunsets, all of this consigns you into a trance, a dream,one you would never want to leave.

Life on the mountains is a tough one, seldom do they have electricity plus getting water and other necessities at such heights is a really strenuous job. We all are used to lives in which everything is humanly arranged and controlled, we forget that there exists a world entirely disparate. Mountains show you a life that does not respond to a remote or a switch, it has its own set of rules. The greatest gift of life on the mountain is time, you have all the time in the world to sit and look at the scenic beauty all around you. Trust me once you are in this ambiance you are bound to fall in love with solitude.
I wont tell you it was easy, no it surely was not because the sub zero temperature, the pain and anguish of acclimatization and the frosty winds all of it kept reminding that maybe this trip was a mistake. But I'll tell you this that when we woke up that morning after all that ordeal, opened the door of our huts and stepped out to see a completely snowy white frost blanket all over the town and a golden gleaming Kanchenjgunga right there infront of our eyes, it all seemed worth it... absolutely worth it. Your nose, toes and fingers are absolutely numb but all you care for is the alluring scenery as if it has been painted by someone, for it is so hard to believe something this magnificent could exist.
Over head was the bluest sky ever and beneath, white fluffy clouds scattered all over the valley like cotton candy. And there, right there like you could touch it by merely stretching your arms out was the resplendent mount Kanchenjgunga and just beside it, it's handsome neighbor the Mount Everest. Oh! i felt like i had the lightest heart and no care in the world for i have seen it all.... it has been rightly said, " Mountains have a powerful solace in them".
So people i found my savior in the clouds, Sandakphu.... whose memories are gonna rescue me from my melancholy for quite a long time now.... And you keep your eyes open for you never know when your eyes would blink and your heart  might just betray you... ;)

Keep falling in love and have a happie new year! :)