Monday, November 15, 2004
Eid Mubarak.
It rained. It rained cats and dogs, it poured, ... it rained.
The blessed ones living in monsoonic regions can hardly understand the significance of this one event in our calender year - if ever it graces a calender year. The last time it had rained was some three years ago, there was a drizzle here and there last year, and the year before that, but it had not rained. Today, it rained. VGA called from Dubai to tell us of a hailstorm that had Dubai's roads whitened, and its residents frightened. On checking with Jalali Baba I found that the poor guys in the capital have had to be content with lightning. Sharjah, it seems, had it best.
I was delirious, and so was the rest of the city, but I was not shouting at the top of my lungs as I so wanted to do, and niether was I sitting out in the rain getting lashed by the gusts of wind carrying tanker loads of water. Oh, I so so wanted to do that too. I really did not mind if that meant contracting a fever for the next week. Fevers come and fevers go, how often does one get a rainstorm here? The sole reason I did not give in to these tempting ideas was that this was the first rain the kids were getting to see, and I did not want them following their nutty old man into the rain, or getting the impression that every rain had to be welcomed with screams. I wanted them to enjoy the rain, which I think Talhah did too. Ayeshah was lulled into sleep by the rythm of raindrops.
So, we got into the car, and followed the rest of the city onto the roads. That's the only thing you do when it rains. There is not time enough for pakodas, because you never know if it will still be raining in five minutes. You just scram out, so that in the dryness of your cars, you can have rain all around you, and listen to its rim jhim on the roof of your car. Or if you can, you step out and embrace it. You look up and receive it all on your face, and let the tingling drops from the heavens wash your concerns away.
It lasted all of a half hour, and I found myself thanking the Almighty profusely every second minute. I do not think I thanked Him enough, nor do I think I can thank Him enough for this blessing (and all His other wonderful blessings). That was about 2 hours ago, but you can still hear the firecrackers some people have resorted to to celebrate the rain. I think they are just exhausting their supply from Ramadan, Eid and Diwali.
Oh, and in all the hoopla, Talhah insisted that he had to have his bereira, and it was almost after the rain had stopped that we realized that the poor thing was asking for an umbrella. He got his bereira alright, and so did Ayeshah - his purple, and hers pink. Hopefully, they will get other chances to open them under the skies this season....
Eid Mubarak indeed.
¶ 11/15/2004 11:07:00 PM The blessed ones living in monsoonic regions can hardly understand the significance of this one event in our calender year - if ever it graces a calender year. The last time it had rained was some three years ago, there was a drizzle here and there last year, and the year before that, but it had not rained. Today, it rained. VGA called from Dubai to tell us of a hailstorm that had Dubai's roads whitened, and its residents frightened. On checking with Jalali Baba I found that the poor guys in the capital have had to be content with lightning. Sharjah, it seems, had it best.
I was delirious, and so was the rest of the city, but I was not shouting at the top of my lungs as I so wanted to do, and niether was I sitting out in the rain getting lashed by the gusts of wind carrying tanker loads of water. Oh, I so so wanted to do that too. I really did not mind if that meant contracting a fever for the next week. Fevers come and fevers go, how often does one get a rainstorm here? The sole reason I did not give in to these tempting ideas was that this was the first rain the kids were getting to see, and I did not want them following their nutty old man into the rain, or getting the impression that every rain had to be welcomed with screams. I wanted them to enjoy the rain, which I think Talhah did too. Ayeshah was lulled into sleep by the rythm of raindrops.
So, we got into the car, and followed the rest of the city onto the roads. That's the only thing you do when it rains. There is not time enough for pakodas, because you never know if it will still be raining in five minutes. You just scram out, so that in the dryness of your cars, you can have rain all around you, and listen to its rim jhim on the roof of your car. Or if you can, you step out and embrace it. You look up and receive it all on your face, and let the tingling drops from the heavens wash your concerns away.
It lasted all of a half hour, and I found myself thanking the Almighty profusely every second minute. I do not think I thanked Him enough, nor do I think I can thank Him enough for this blessing (and all His other wonderful blessings). That was about 2 hours ago, but you can still hear the firecrackers some people have resorted to to celebrate the rain. I think they are just exhausting their supply from Ramadan, Eid and Diwali.
Oh, and in all the hoopla, Talhah insisted that he had to have his bereira, and it was almost after the rain had stopped that we realized that the poor thing was asking for an umbrella. He got his bereira alright, and so did Ayeshah - his purple, and hers pink. Hopefully, they will get other chances to open them under the skies this season....
Eid Mubarak indeed.
