WIND, SAND AND RAIN

44 C - Sunday afternoon was hot and sultry as usual.  The electricity had been out since early in the morning and without  the overhead fans you could feel the constant prickle of sweat.  The wind arrived without warning - ferociously blowing up clouds of dust - palm fronds waved wildly, the mango trees bent in every direction - the sky was grey with sand, as the wind veered this way and that and seemed to smack everything, as if this was some huge climatic temper tantrum.  Everything was sent flying, as it  ripped through the beakers and cooking pots of  the pavement dwellers - shrieks,  as chaos reigned....

Following on its heels eventually came the rain.  The first drops were as hard as pellets, then grew in strength, as it established a pent-up rhythm - the first rain of the year !  Windows were quickly closed as curtains leapt out of control....but the coolness of the air was like balm.

And then it stopped, the long hot summer days had been interrupted and Nature had fulfilled her contract, this was a foretaste of what was to come - the Monsoons were on their way and in this cathartic moment,  the monkeys came out to play scampering here and there, chattering with excitement, as they chased each other, up and down and over - a large one contentedly eating a rain washed mango high up in a tree nearby and down below,  girls ran out giggling, to see how many windfalls they could retrieve.