"Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. Little Johnny wants to play."
Even after reciting this rhyme several times during our nursery days, it never actually became our motto in school. Our July and August were spent in singing:
"Rain, rain please do stay. Come again and again whole day. Little Johnny wants to play."
The rainy days of Bhopal are etched in my memory and my friends from Carmel would nod and echo their agreement here. Rainy days were the golden days for the school kids.
The most looked forward treat used to be school announcing a holiday due to heavy rain pour. Wow... I still remember how I would wait for the bus and then come back hopping happily, splashing all the puddles, ruining my clean and well pressed uniform. "Chutti mil gayi... it is a rainy day... Bus nahi aayi" Even my Mom used to get intoxicated by my happiness and would smile at the extra bout of work (my mud stained uniform) that I would bring back for her. You see, the those were not the days of Surf Excel. "Daag achche hain!" came quite later in our lives. I so envy the kids these days when they are encouraged on national television to enjoy sack races, get themselves covered up in cycle grease to impress a girl or beat up a puddle because it had hurt their little sister. I so much envy them... really. Anyhow, coming back to my rainy day celebrations, the rest of the day always passed by in a blur. Watching TV, reading comic books, shouting, dancing and creating all possible nuisances. Best part used to be when rains would stop and a clear sky took over past noon. All kids in the colony used to come out and play. It used to be the best of both worlds, no school and more playtime as well.
Even when at times school administration didn't get too liberal and used to call us for classes while it was raining cats and dogs, the poor turnout was a blessing in those moments. Most teachers would skip lectures and then we, the fortunate ones, used to get free periods one after another. We used to remove our shoes and drenched socks and jump from one bench to another. Sing songs, play games, chat and discuss even the most trivial issues as if our life depended on it. The whole day used to be like a recess time and then we used to board buses that would take us back home.
Well what can I say, we were kids back then. Those were the golden days, real gold. Now it is all so mundane and different. It has been raining continuously in Bangalore since last night and still I had to wake up, get ready and drive all the way to office. Getting mud soaked by the splashes made by my fellow drivers. I reached office somehow after tackling the worst possible traffic jams and then got busy with meetings, codes, installations and obviously writing this post. I wish I could still get back those school days once again. Sing the wrong rhyme again and play once again. Oh dear... "Rain, rain... "
