I love a good Bangladeshi storm. The boom in the air! The sense of awe in the power of a lightning strike. The chaotic, swirling build-up. The stifling, oppressive air. The darkness.
I love the feeling after the storm has passed; the air now lighter and purer. It smells fresher. Everything is calm and rejuvenated.
The life of the Bengali people, physically or spiritually is consistently inundated by the monsoon rain. During the monsoon a Bengali heart resonates with the water deluge, and mine started as well.
Bring it on, I think. Rage as you will. We’ll breathe easier when you’ve finished raging.
Oreo, the diplodog is terrified of storms. Always sensitive to sound, he cannot take the claps of thunder here. His anxiety has swollen now that to the extent that during one of the nights I rolled over and found him on my pillow. He never ever climbs higher than my feet. But now it's different, he just wants to escape from something that is everywhere.
We have entered the monsoon season. It’s been raining in Dhaka like crazy and some of the streets in the city had a few feet of water flooding them.
There is nothing as lovely as a monsoon rain on an unbearably hot, dusty afternoon. All of a sudden you hear a deep rumble of thunder from the skies, signaling the onset of the monsoon rains. I have never seen rain like in Bangladesh. The clouds release their loads in torrents. Sheets of water hurry down so hard and so fast that visibility goes down to nothing. There is no wind, so it is just a constant downpour that mingles with the humid, warm day.
As people run for cover, I can see some laugh. Smiles come out as we marvel at the rains, which bring out Bangladesh’s beauty.
Back home, the rain is cold and unwelcoming. You just stay home with a hot drink and a good book, seeking the comfort of the bed. In Bangladesh, umbrellas are actually used when sun is out and absent in the rain. Instead, people welcome the water. Sure enough, in minutes, the streets are flooded. But the dust and pollution are gone, the heat has dissipated.
You can actually breath the air once again!
