kaleidoscope: The Infamous Monsoons

The monsoon season in Mumbai generally runs from July until mid September. It starts earlier in the south of India, travels upwards, and ends later in the North. When I was in India last year I caught the beginning of it in Kerela (South India) during my travels with Phoebe, Sophie and Winnie. However, we moved up North and then left from Mumbai before the rains really hit. I was hoping to get a glimpse of the rains here this time round but after the first full week had thought I had missed them.

I caught one down pour which lasted about 20 mins. The skies darken, the air is charged with an incredible energy, the city buzzes with anticipation. Then suddenly the sky opens and rain pours from the heavens painting everything a darker shade of wet. Some things come to a stand still. Vegetables are left out on carts without their vendors, motorcyclists drive off the rode and park, people gather and stand under anything from trees to pasty shop doorways, huddling to keep warm. The charge in the air and the knowledge that when it rains it pours and when the monsoons start you're helpless against the elements -generally sends a shiver of excitement through the city. If you're going to get wet -then you might as well have fun. The air temperature drops suddenly and mercifully, the layers of dust settle and almost instantly areas that used to be roads are submerged into lakes and rivers.

I've heard of the chaos that the monsoons can bring. Flooding in homes, on roads and railway tracks. If the trains stop in Mumbai, Millions of people are stranded as that many people rely on the railway system for their daily commute. Much of the city can be brought to its knees -a stand still. The millions who's homes are the sidewalks, streets, alleyways of the city are flooded out. Sickness and disease rise from everyday colds to malaria as stagnant water breeds mosquito's.

So much of India depends on the monsoons. With literally no rain at any other time of the year the monsoons make or break the harvest, the water reservoirs. Apparently the rains this year haven't been as much as they usually are. Reservoirs are low and water shortages are expected in full swing in around April and May next year. Agriculture will suffer -crops will dry out sooner and grow less. More people will go hungry when the time comes and the water supply wanes.

This year the monsoons have lasted a little longer those sparse as they may be. The thunder and lightening that accompanies the rains marks the end of the season as the charged air is not present in the beginning. The last three days it has rained pretty heavily every night at around 6pm. The first few days it only lasted for about 20 mins-an hour, while the day before last it lasted for about 4 hours. Jonathan and I were lucky to catch the transition just before it rained from my uncle and aunt's house in Bandra over looking the promenade by the ocean -Bandstand- from a 6 story building atop a hill. Here are the pictures. It all happened very quickly over the span of about 15mins. Jonathan has some before and after pictures he's post on his blog.