CHASING THE RAIN

These are the first raindrops in Wynad last year when I was in Kerala Chasing the rain. I had to wait. I was enjoying the company of Dr. Krishnadas and family when it started raining, seeing me excited he took me for a drive. It was pouring.



I am in a train, 5 in the morning, it is still dark in Trichur Railway station, I am up and others still sleeping. Mallus, Keralites want the news paper before they wake up. They wake up dreaming of a newspaper and they have it before they have a cup of chaaya.



Newspaper hawkers screaming the headlines, one chap buys a Malayalam news paper. I quietly go sit beside him after having finished my second coffee before 5 am. It is still dark as the train picks up speed, all lights switched off, i can hardly see the newspaper and our man is reading it.
Where is it raining now can you please tell me ?

huh ?

weather report ??

huh ?

I repeat in what ever Malayalam I can manage



I can see the white sheet but not the print. not very happy over my interruption. he checks and tells me 

'Nho rhayine'( no rain )

goes back to the story he was reading.
must be raining somewhere would you please check and tell me.
He mutters something and checks again, I appreciate his effort in dim light, takes time to locate small bit of news,

'littal rhayine in  Pyyannur Kasargode'

thank you
I know that he doesn't know where pyyannur or Kasargode is
I know where it is
i know more of kerala than a keralite does



A man from Talissery would have gone to north pole south pole east pole or the west pole but he would not have seen Mahe' a few kilometers away.



unlike my city of Chennai, the rain in kerala is always pleasant for me. I love the smell of banana fry and rain. Sometimes fish coconut oil and rain. Wow !



Where ever I go I keep asking people where is it raining now,
' Something is wrong with this chap' that's the look i get. but they all oblige.
nice chaps.



its not hard to find a man with a newspaper, they all seem to carry it with an umbrella, I'll be the only one without an umbrella or a newspaper, they read tomorrow's newspaper, they read last years newspaper. I have not seen people eating newspaper all the time anywhere in India but in Kerala. I don't read, i don't like ruining my day, sometimes I may read the sports page. My nephew and niece read them, we get 2 different newspapers at home.



rain is just a weather report in Kerala newspapers, where as here in Chennai, rain is big news
front page big headline. Now you know why I am chasing the rain



 









Leaving tonight for Kerala, on a rain chase, A wedding in Guruvayur first, two of my friends are getting married. not seperately, I mean they are getting married to each other, both are my friends don't worry, one is a boy the other is a girl. Normal thing. and I am the cupid. I may be wierd but my friends are normal.
So Nirmal and Sindu are getting married on the 28th.
Happy occasion for me.
I'll post the wedding pictures for you, simple wedding in a temple, but the temple is not simple
Guruvayur is one big famous temple.



I'll be back on 4th of June
love you allBlunt Knife
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