After

the Rain!

Vasan Sri

The rains have suddenly stopped. It was 3 PM..I walked
out of the house after nearly 48 hours...the black
clouds were drifting away in great speed.
The sky was light blue---free of dust, the air was
crisp and bright, as if the wind shield of your car had
been wiped. The musty earthy smell came from the mud
road.

I walked over the puddles of water---rather warm,
I felt. Small children had come out carrying a few
paper boats---to sail on the water rivulets on the side
of the road....I walked and walked---suddenly I found a
flock of sparrows fluttering away from the niches in
the roof of a house that loomed dark. The tree nearby

shook in the wind sprinkling water droplets on my

jacket.
The orange -red rays of a setting Sun sparkled from
the west...I turned north...an iridescent rainbow
spanned the street... We call it "Indra Dhanush"--Lord
Indra's bow. {Indra ,the mythical god, controlled
Varuna ,the god of rain.] I gazed at it for a
minute...slowly the bow merged into the pale blue
sky...
I was startled by the cries of street vendors coming
out of the side lanes where they had parked their
carts with pallet covered by a tourpalin
sheets....Shouts of "Tomaotes, Onions and Potatoes"
rent the air.
An old lady with wrinkled face in bright red saree
was lifting her basket of flowers,covered with a damp
cloth, emerged from the porch of a house with a
half-smile...she was happy that it had rained and told
the potato vendor that the rains were a blessing from

"Amma,the Goddess Kamakshi" ,the presiding deity in the

temple at the end of the road.
A sudden screech--- a car was running by splashing
copious stream of water on the old lady's saree ,
lifted above her knee. She turned and cursed the
driver: " Great Sinner.....he won't live long", and
wiped her hips.
Her smile returned and she spoke to the woman in a
pant with a shirt on the top ,who wanted to buy a
garland of jasmine flowers and would bargain with her.
The old lady quoted a price of rupees four. The lady
would pay only rupees two. The old lady cajoled and
settled the deal for two rupees and fifty paise.
The old lady was now walking towards the temple gate
and stopped on the way at the food cart. She was
hungry. A smart plump lady was selling idlies [boiled
rice cakes ] with chutney [sauce] for fifty paise. The
old lady took the leaf plate carrying the three idlies
and sat on the stone nearby, dropping her flower basket

on the side. After eating the idlies, she lifted the

basket and found another customer, a young man on a
scooter who stopped by, asking for marigold
garland..The old lady asked for five rupees. The young
man gave her a crisp five rupee note and whisked
away..The old lady was full of smiles. She told the
sale deal to the Idli vendor and gave thanks to the
"Amma, Goddess Kamakshi" at the end of the road.
The dark grey clouds were gathering again and a
drizzle started. The old lady would close her 'shop'
and went to her house in another part of the town.
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