Alone on a rainy morning

Being woken up by the sound of rain outside your window is always a great way to start the day. Happened to me today in the wee hours of the morning. I hadn't been asleep very long but rain is worth some lost sleep. As it happens when it rains, the electricity was out. It was quite dark, the sun was yet to come up. And the only sound was the rain pattering outside. Everyone else in the house was dead to the world. I lay in bed in a half dream state and just listened. When the rain stopped coming down a few minutes later, I went outside and walked around the compound for a good half hour. The air was moist, cool and crisp. Invigorating. The birds were chirping, a breeze was blowing. Wet leaves glistened in the light of the rising sun. The smell of winter was in the air. It was a feeling of utter tranquility until people started waking up and yelling to the chowkidar to switch on the generator. That heralded the start of the daily routine and the low hum of the generator reminded me that I was not, after all, strolling in a meadow. But, for those solitary and peaceful few minutes before that, it felt like all was well with the world.