It was 8.30 p.m., already dark, but the unbelievable noise outside made me glance out of the window - a small vehicle with, what looked like an outsize Harley Davidson exhaust pipe on board, was slowly making its way round the building, pumping out clouds of toxic looking smoke.....! 'They're fumigating', I was told later ...'they do it when everyone is indoors at night' ...'there have been so many cases of maleria in Mumbai already because of all the water lying around, they're trying to kill the breeding mosquitoes and also the flies' !
Another consequence of the Monsoon season, is that the animal population have all moved into town ! Cows prefer walking on tarred roads to slipping around in the watery fields and have taken to lying down in the middle of the highway, sometimes in groups of 8 - 10 and completely blocking the road. It's interesting that when it starts raining, they dash for cover and huddle under buildings and any overhanging roof, to get out of the rain - I'm sure if you left a door open, you'd probably find one in your lounge, unannounced !
It's also the mating season for donkeys, so they're all in town too, checking out availability, and heralding their presence with that strange braying, which sounds like some sort of lament.
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