This time Monsoon season near me has been disloyal and erratic to us. It reminds me the loyal and trustworthy messenger cloud of mini epic (Khand Kavya) Meghdootam, a celebrated work of Kalidasa. This feel triggers in me a story which is about nature, literature and intricacies of human life. And, of course, these are the elements which are desperately sought after here at this site – https://thelifespeaks.com.
Meghdootam : A Brief Introduction
Meghdootam (literally, The Cloud Messenger) is a classical Sanskrit poem written by the legendary Indian poet Kalidasa around the 4th or 5th century B.C.
The central theme of Meghdootam is “Viraha” or love in separation. The story revolves around a celestial being, a Yaksha, who has been exiled from his heavenly abode for neglecting his duties, thanks to his overwhelming love and longing for his spouse.
As he languishes alone in Central India, his heart aches for his beloved far away in the Himalayan city of Alaka.
In a moment of poetic inspiration, he (Yaksha) spots a monsoon cloud drifting northward and pleads with it to carry a message to his wife. what follows is an extraordinary journey – not only of geography but of emotion – as the Yaksha describes the route the cloud must take and the feelings his message must convey.
Kalidasa uses his literary genius to explore universal themes like – pain of separation from loved ones and power of nature to carry emotion and memories of past. In this literary journey, Kalidasa also describes beautifully the richness of Indian landscape and culture!
For western readers, Meghdootam might be compared to the pastoral poetry of Greeks or the odes of Romantic poets like Shelley and Keats – where nature becomes vehicle for deep human emotions.
Monsoon This Year In My Place.
The terai belt of eastern Bihar (a North Indian State in Northern Planes of India)) where I live, is experiencing meagre rainfall which is insufficient to support our paddy cultivation. Though paddy is a water thirsty crop; it is a staple food for dense population residing in this part. Rice is so much in their life that the geographers have tagged these regions with the name “paddy culture region”. Even many folklores have been composed which are sung by the women peasants while planting the paddy saplings in the puddles of paddy farms in ankle deep water. And, the rice is considered auspicious in many day to day Hindu rituals, festivals and wedding ceremonies.
This season,vigurous clouds and characteristic monsoon winds made their way aloft, but turn their eyes blind to us and didn’t precipitate. People and farmers, even animals and birds, wait every hour day and night for a good start of rains but we find no sign of it to the farthest. And our heart nostalgically goes like this –
“Oh rain, you tempestuous flirt!
Once you came on chariots of thunder, drenched our parched tongues with elixir, gave farmers a reason to hum tuneless songs and buffaloes a reason to wallow with flair.
But not this year.”
News was that S W Monsoon would reach Bihar a full week ahead of schedule. And we had mountains of excitement for this. That it would break the monotony of summer months and relieve us from merciless hot temperatures which are unprecedented to this region, gave us goosebumps. Whenever even the lightest breeze would blow and make the leaves break in to conversation, we were all ears if there is any talk of rains ?
But by June’28, only 57.3mm rainfall was registered as against expectation of 140 mm rainfall. Scorching sun dried up all the hopes of farmers and they finally resorted to planting their paddy saplings by exploiting the ground water with the help of costly electrical and fossil fuel based water pumps.
Meteorologically, there are so many factors behind a good rainfall during monsoon, such as – favourable SW Monsoon winds activity, proper setting of Monsoon Trough above the Northern Plains and favourable positioning of Sub Tropical Westerly Jetstream (STJ) and Tropical Easterly Jetstream (TEJ) to strengthen the low pressure belt over Northern Plains.
But O dear Monsoon! when we have emotional connect with you, we don’t count any scientific explanation or reason for your obvious absence from our land and sky.
We urge you to remember, that empathetic cloud entity – the famous Cloud Messenger (or, Meghdootam in ancient Sanskrit language) of Kalidasa. Just remember the emotional connect it had, with humans, with us!
Do our fields not weep as Yaksha’s eyes? Isn’t our thirst for your waters – a question of our existence ? Our farmers too are exiled in their own ways – from prosperity, from certainty, from the mercy of your drops. But you ignore us.
When you carried Yaksha’s sorrow to his spouse, you were a hero. But today you appear like a drifting ghost, denying us of your waters, and reducing our farms to dust.
But somewhere inside us, breathes a hope that you will not make any further delay. You are not like this. You will prove all these allegations wrong and will precipitate and dance in our lands, ponds, and on our roofs. You will rain like a true and meaningful rain.
Celebrations, When Rain Will Come…
And you know what ? We will celebrate your arrival with our unique local and traditional cuisine and delicacies like Litti Chokha, Daal Pudi – Kheer with mango slices, Fritters and condiments followed by hot cups of tea, and music and folksongs. These folksongs may carry a spouse’s longing to be in company with her beloved who is outstation for earning livelihood, or, may carry thanksgiving words to Rain God for his mercy on farms and prayer for bumper growth of his crops.
Forests, which have gone silent like a school after a summer break, will soon turn in to an wild opera with chorus of birds and insects to welcome your arrival.
During rains, frogs too will come out to organize and celebrate their music fest with their antiphonal chants.
The Instagram poets, roof top dancers, the Chai (Tea) philosophers will soon come to life as your arrival vanishes the monotonicity of summer. Moist whispers under shared umbrella with cup of hot coffee in hands, will dot the parks and roadside eateries. Your downpour will lure poets and writers to push their pens again and ink their new creativity. And children…? They are eagerly awaiting your arrival with their paper boats to float them in street waters and have a lots of fun !
So, Let’s Pray…
So let us pray, if only for traditions shake, to Lord Indra, Zews, El- Nino, Jet streams, to bring the thunder and rains to our lands; and of course on the lighter note, to bring back the humble umbrella’s weekly relevance.
In the mini epic Meghdootam, the “Yaksha” urges you –
“The Kadamba Tree is in blossom and welcomes you, O Cloud; you need not fear any obstruction along your path”.
We on the same line, with our blossomed Kadamba tree and Chameli (Jasmine) flowers in our surrounding, keenly await for your staccato splutter on roofs and your life inspiring rains to our lands and farms !
