What was this that I was hearing !!!! I lowered the volume of music to listen more closely. I thought I heard tip-tap outside my almost-sound-proof air-conditioned room. It sounded like rain !!!! R-A-I-N – something that none of us had ever expected in Dubai…
The unbearable heat (especially in the summers) makes it the official air conditioned desert. An air conditioner is a must in homes, the corridors of apartments, offices, public and private transport. Even the smallest of the grocery stores, restaurants and the bus stops ought to have the cool air blower. Nothing below an A/C is suited to the climate. Most places don’t even have ceiling fans.
In a place like this, the sound of drops of water hitting the concrete was something I had never imagined. I couldn’t believe my ears! I pulled the curtains to see if I was just hearing things. There it was, the azure blue sky at 4 o’ clock in the afternoon with water vehemently crossing over the railing to flood the balcony. It was a sight I will never forget all my life. I could see a at least a dozen people come out in their balconies to feel the water, some even with umbrellas to protect themselves, this time from the downpour and not the scorching sun. Some were so elated that they even went out on the streets to drench themselves in the cold showers on the first day of the year.
It’s only the absence of something that makes us know the value of it. We detest the incessant rains in Mumbai, crib about it when it clogs the Delhi roads and curse it when it brings the Bangalore traffic to a halt. We worry about our clothes not drying, our cars getting dirty and the humidity caused by the rain water. What we don’t see is how the surroundings suddenly become bright green when the vegetation magically comes into bloom and the streets become clean as if they’re newly made. When it rained in the desert, all that came to our minds was that water actually touched this dry land, and the thought of rains in winters, making it colder and dirtying our jeans while stepping into a-little-over-ankle high water didn’t even cross our minds.
Similar situations – different reactions. It’s just a matter of the attitude. All it needs to be happy and contended is to appreciate the situation one is in and make the best of it. Who knows, may be in the future we’ll yearn for the same things that were once available in abundance when we didn’t care a damn for them.
The unbearable heat (especially in the summers) makes it the official air conditioned desert. An air conditioner is a must in homes, the corridors of apartments, offices, public and private transport. Even the smallest of the grocery stores, restaurants and the bus stops ought to have the cool air blower. Nothing below an A/C is suited to the climate. Most places don’t even have ceiling fans.
In a place like this, the sound of drops of water hitting the concrete was something I had never imagined. I couldn’t believe my ears! I pulled the curtains to see if I was just hearing things. There it was, the azure blue sky at 4 o’ clock in the afternoon with water vehemently crossing over the railing to flood the balcony. It was a sight I will never forget all my life. I could see a at least a dozen people come out in their balconies to feel the water, some even with umbrellas to protect themselves, this time from the downpour and not the scorching sun. Some were so elated that they even went out on the streets to drench themselves in the cold showers on the first day of the year.
It’s only the absence of something that makes us know the value of it. We detest the incessant rains in Mumbai, crib about it when it clogs the Delhi roads and curse it when it brings the Bangalore traffic to a halt. We worry about our clothes not drying, our cars getting dirty and the humidity caused by the rain water. What we don’t see is how the surroundings suddenly become bright green when the vegetation magically comes into bloom and the streets become clean as if they’re newly made. When it rained in the desert, all that came to our minds was that water actually touched this dry land, and the thought of rains in winters, making it colder and dirtying our jeans while stepping into a-little-over-ankle high water didn’t even cross our minds.
Similar situations – different reactions. It’s just a matter of the attitude. All it needs to be happy and contended is to appreciate the situation one is in and make the best of it. Who knows, may be in the future we’ll yearn for the same things that were once available in abundance when we didn’t care a damn for them.
Its only the absence of something / someone that realizes the presence of it.... well said
ReplyDeleteWell written Aditi... really liked the last line... and the way you have built up the writing to make the last line feel so special!
ReplyDeletenothing should be taken for granted!!!