“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.”
― The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book
Or in my case, a sketchbook and watercolours.
But I must admit that I’m not a huge fan of the rains, especially in Delhi-NCR, and particularly on week days. Because when it rains, the roads invariably get flooded, and new potholes appear miraculously and there’s no way of knowing where they may have decided to spring up.
Braving the fear of yawning potholes that can swallow up cars is certainly not my favourite way to start – or end – the day. Many a rainy day drive finds me gripping the steering wheel, white-knuckled, whispering “please please please” on repeat.
Please let my car not break down in the middle of this knee-deep pool of water.
Please let a pothole not swallow my car whole.
Please let this traffic keep moving, even if all it does is crawl.
Suffice it to say, I do not like it when it rains.
And still, I decided to visit Goa in August, in the midst of an unprecedentedly heavy monsoon.
And I fell in love with the rains.
With the moss and lichen growing on the walls and the steps.
With the lush greenery all around me.
With the sound of the rain.
With sketching in the rain.
What about you? Are you a fan of the rains?
I received this tag from Leo. It is my pleasure to pass on this tag to Reema. 42 of us are participating in the #WordsMatter blog hop from 6 to 9 September 2019. Do follow along with our posts and prepare to be surprised!
Perfect! I hate to get out of the home due to the traffic, muddy roads filled with potholes and landslides 😐 I loved your sketches inspired from your trip to Goa. Thanks for joining the blog hop again. Hope you have fun.
Landslides would be the scariest! And I’m glad you liked the sketches. I’m going to start working on finishing them soon. 🙂
That video was wonderful. The place looks just right for sketching on a rainy day. Rains mess up cities and the commute to and from work becomes painful. But on a holiday, they are perfect.
Glad you enjoyed the video! And yes, I had a ton of inspiration there! Did a few quick sketches, which I shall be completing soon.
Oh I love the rains especially if I can just sit and watch it
That’s the only time I like the rains 😉
I will not call myself a fan of the rains too. I have been there battling the NCR traffic in the rains in the evenings commuting from work in Gurgaon to the home in the northern most part of Delhi and those times were nightmares. The sound of incessant Goa rain is however soothing.
Oh my! Gurgaon to North Delhi in monsoon is a nightmare!! I’ve heard horror stories from my colleagues!
Mumbai rains, more notorious than any, are a delight to spend at home, definitely not out of it! Delhi/Gurugram is no better I know! You’re lucky to have caught the Goa rains, I love Goa in the rains! So beautiful! Also could be the fact that one goes there with a holiday mindset, so automatically everything looks greener!
I do love the greenery in monsoon – even in Delhi NCR. It’s the commute that makes me hate the rains! And yes, Goa in August was a delight!
Goa in rain is indeed beautiful. People miss the natural beauty of ghats and waterfalls while thinking about only beaches. Those are really beautiful pictures and video.
The beaches are quite bad in monsoon! Dirty, mucky – best to explore the other parts of Goa during monsoon!!
Not surprised to see how much the Goa in rains seem to have inspired you, Shinjini! I loved the lush green and the moss laden views! So much around us comes alive in the rains…it’s so amazing!
Yes! I haven’t seen that much moss in years!! Made me remember how much I love seeing moss growing on walls – though walking on it is challenging!
I am a fan of the rains but the place matters like you.
As you do not like rains in Delhi, the same as me.
I had been liking Dehradun’s rains when I was there.
Dehradun must get lush and green during monsoon!! I think it’s the thought of daily office commute that really spoils the rains for me!
I hate the rains on days when I have to work but I love them otherwise. Just because Bangalore traffic during rains is a nightmare. Goa during monsoons is beautiful. Your post reminded me of my trip to Goa a couple of years ago during monsoons.
Yes, traffic is one of the biggest reasons why I don’t like rains in Delhi NCR! Bangalore traffic is anyway notorious – can’t imagine what it would be like during monsoon!!
Traffic and roads are a nightmare in Gurgaon rains; thats why I love it when I am home to enjoy it from my balcony. The mossy steps make for a gorgeous pic – you should frame it Shinjini.
The balcony is the best place to enjoy the rains, tbh! Glad you liked the pic!!
I love rains only when I am at home. If I have to be on the road when it’s raining…. God! I hate it!! And I can relate to all the reasons you have mentioned.
Goa edition of rains is simply beautiful!! No wonder, it made you fall in love with it!
Goa rains were the best! Even though I had to change some plans and couldn’t do everything that I wanted to, I loved every moment of it!
🙂 I think backdrop helps one fall in love with the rain. I’m thankful to have a good campus at office where the rain makes the world look even more beautiful. So can understand the post in a way!
Ah! You’re lucky then, Vinay! 🙂
I hate the water clogged roads and heavy traffic during rains. Your Goa photos are beautiful though.
Yeah, Goa was magical!!
Look at all that green. My friends tell me Goa becomes gorgeous in rains and your pictures show the same. Pretty!
Thanks for joining us on the 2nd edition of #WordsMatter.
It was gorgeous! Green everywhere you look!
There is so much of difference when it rains in a city and when you are surrounded by nature. The pics added to the beauty of the post!
Yes, that’s true! I love how fresh and green Goa was. Pune was the same way in the rains. In Delhi/NCR, we’re hard pressed to find that much lush greenery.
I love rains when I am indoors, and certainly NOT when I am outdoors. The streets are mucky, apart from being dotted with pot holes, and my shoes get wet and removing them is a major pain as wet shows take such a long, annoying time to come off! And, my umbrella gets stolen when I visit a supermarket for grocery shopping and I am left with someone else’s broken, almost skeleton-like umbrella; and the clothes don’t dry despite being right under the fan for two consecutive days!
I love the rains, though, for the coolness they bring along, and the scent of the wet earth, and the beautiful rainbow and the waterfalls.
Loved those pictures you clicked, and also the painting you made, Shinjini! 🙂
haha! You sound just as grumpy about the rains as I am, Shilpa! I do love the smell of wet earth and the chance of spotting rainbows. If only offices would close when it rains, I think I’d enjoy it more 😉
My dad was posted to Goa for two years and I often made a trip there in the rains. While I agree it looks beautiful in the rains, it was awful to have our foodstuff get mouldy……Rains are best enjoyed from a warm cozy home. I hate walking down in the rains because it gets squishy and splashy – the rain water gushes down like a river of Babylon. And after a walk in the rain it is advisable to take a dose of Doxycycline for fear of getting Lepto.
Mouldy foodstuff! Now that does sound downright horrible!
Goa is paradise this time of the year. And living on this side of the country I experience and cherish every moment of it. Monsoons in Delhi are a stark contrast.
I grew up in Pune and I miss the monsoon there! It becomes so pleasant and so beautifully green!! A stark contrast from Delhi, indeed!
I find the sound of rain incredibly soothing. It’s like the music of my soul. Although when stuck in traffic, rain can be such a menace. I love the vibrant color of moss and the lichens. So beautiful!
Ah yes. The sound of the rain is beautiful!!
All things wonderful seem to have their downsides, don’t they? Rain is no exception. I do not like floods, or mold (though mold can be beautiful, looked at in the right way, such as under a microscope!) – but I do love the rain, and without it, the earth turns dry and dusty and parched. Life NEEDS rain.
No denying that all – life needs rain! I just wish we could have rainy days the way we used to when we were in school! 😉
I’ve only ever had snow days. And precious few of those happen in the tropics!
See, I think snow days would be so much more fun than rainy ones! Or maybe it’s a case of the grass being greener on the other side! 😉
They probably are! We’d go build snowmen and snow forts, have snowball fights, sled down the hill in a neighbor’s back yard… But my point, really, was that we’d have to have rain like Hurricane Harvey in Houston before ANYTHING here would shut down for it.
Yikes! Hurricanes must be pretty scary to live through. They look scary even in the news reports I’ve seen on TV.
They can be. Anything that can cause flash flooding is pretty scary, but anything that can do that AND flatten a town is terrifying. Look at images of Galveston (Crystal Beach) before and after Hurricane Ike. Or huge swathes of Houston after Harvey. But parts of India are the same, I know. It’s devastating.
Yes, I’ve seen the photographs. Terrifying and devastating!!
When it rains, I lost somewhere in my own world, that time I love to spend most of the time by watching the rain
I love to drive in the rain! but from the safety of my car, with my music on. But yeah I understand your emotions on the potholes situation too. The problem of big cities. Riding a bike in rain is a different ball game altogether. You have to avoid the rain in your eyes, stay away from puddles, dodge the buses that may douse you with muddy water anytime! But fun all the same!
I like the scent of the earth when it rains and the sound of the rain even more. Lovely piece thats shows your evolving emotions towards rains.
Wow, love your blog…it’s so beautiful!! And, for the post, I hate rains…seriously but have always found the moss covered rocks so romantic and inspiring. A delightful read and what lovely pictures!!
somehow summer has always been the only times we visited Goa, monsoon has been a big no no, seeing your pics, I think next time it Rains we would head to Goa
Goa in the rains is my favourite place to be! Loved the images, Shinjini.
Loved the picture Shinjini. Have very good memories of Goa during monsoons and was recollecting them while reading your post
i never went Goa in rain, but i love rains yes, certain drawbacks with rain
Love to watch the rains or dance in it – but never wade through it… beautiful moss laden pictures!!
I enjoyed going through this visual delight! I have mixed feelings about rains but enjoyed reading your thoughts.
Yes, the road gets flooded when it rains heavily on weekdays but then also I love to go out in rains because it is simple don’t take car out, go on a two wheeler and make most of the season as you enjoyed in Goa.
Ah, I wish! But when you have to get to work, you can’t take a two wheeler and enjoy the season. In Delhi NCR a two wheeler would also mean having dirty, mucky water splashed on you. Not fun!!
I’ve been to Goa so many times, and I think monsoons are the best time to see a Goa in all her glory. Your post brought back so many lovely memories ?
Been to Goa many times but never during the monsoons. Your beautiful post inspires me to, Shinjini!
Oh, it is wonderful!! Just be prepared for no beaches and rainy days washing away some plans. It’s all still a lot of fun. And beautiful.
I agree I am not a fan of rain in delhi but I love it when I am in the hills or my hometown!! The freshness the rain brings is beautiful and so calming like your pics of Goa!! Loved your post
Thank you! And yes, rains in the hills can be beautiful too, provided you don’t need to travel! The landslides there are scary too!!
Lovely pictures! Goa is indeed beautiful in the rains.Though this year the rains were a little harsh but still welcoming. #MyFriendAlexa #ShubhraReads
Great photos, S! I love rains and I love Goa during rains. Been there more than once just for the rains.
Thank you! It was my first time in Goa during monsoon, and I fell in love!!
I’m a fan of my childhood rains, today it seems all chaotic but still I crave for them 🙂
Childhood rain was fun! Now, not so much! 🙂
Yes, I love rains and in Delhi i miss it so much.
Would love to go Goa during rains.
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