Waiting for Rain
by Anita Nair
Anita Nair travels to her Kerala village hoping to experience the monsoon, but finds the rain reluctant after a prolonged dry spell. Through the landscape, family memories and the changing water table, she connects the monsoon with Kerala's ecology, economy and emotional life.
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- Journey: The narrator travels from Bengaluru to Kerala while hoping for the monsoon.
- Expectation: Turbulence makes her happy because she associates wind currents with rain.
- Drought: The village has experienced dry wells, low water levels and reduced rainfall.
- Uncle: Her 85-year-old uncle recalls how important the monsoon has always been to village life.
- Arrival of Rain: After prolonged waiting, the narrator finally hears rain drumming on the tiled roof at night.
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Travelling in search of the monsoon
The narrator travels to Kerala while passengers around her fear turbulence. She welcomes it because turbulence suggests wind currents and therefore the possibility of monsoon rain. She regularly calls her parents asking whether it is raining.
A reluctant monsoon
The expected rains do not arrive on time. Even the beginning of the Karkitakam month brings only a reluctant spell of rain. The narrator compares the disappointment with waiting for an eagerly anticipated visitor who fails to appear.
Water scarcity and environmental change
The village has experienced severe drought. Wells and canals have dried and the water table has fallen. The narrator connects this crisis with concrete construction and the cutting of trees, warning that environmental damage can make water increasingly scarce.
Memory and the arrival of rain
The narrator's elderly uncle recalls the monsoon of the past, when rain made everything damp and green. He complains that the present monsoon seems to promise rain without delivering it. Finally, at about 2 a.m., the narrator wakes to the sound of rain on the tiled roof, bringing relief and joy.