Sit back, relax, and grab a hot cup of chai because monsoon season is here.
Monsoons are the perfect time to enjoy some of life’s guilty pleasures. The season is perfect for some chai-pakora action, enjoyed best in a cozy Jaipuri blanket, whilst romantically glancing out the patterned windows. The rainy season has been associated with romance, fertility, and indulgence since time immemorial. The earth replenishes and reproduces new life onto the planet, making everything better. Our dadis and nanis are notorious for stuffing the bellies of little children with pakoras of all kinds, even if the occasion is simply a light drizzle. However, since Pakoras are a privilege for college kids away from home, here are the best ways to enjoy a rainy day when away from home.
Chai/Coffee
The romance of dancing raindrops is best enjoyed with an accompaniment of masala chai and Marie. Affordable and delicious, it quenches your thirst and soothes your throat, while going splendidly with the weather.
In case you’re feeling generous or just happen to be a millennial who needs coffee to survive, chai can be substituted with coffee. Another rainy day buddy, you can choose your roast, be it light, medium, or dark. Take the day off, and enjoy your nice hot cuppa.
A Good Book
What does chai and coffee go best with? A good old book, of course! After you’re done dunking your biscuits in your beverage, you still need a companion for the remaining tea, and there no better buddy than a book. The older the book, the better, so you can dig your nose into it and experience the woody goodness of its pages. Romance is a genre best suited to the weather, along with a comfy chair to sink into when lost in the world of literature.
Ruskin Bond’s short story collections get a special mention, as they can transport you to the quaintest rainy hills, complete with a touch of childhood nostalgia.
Music
If you’re not much of reader, fret not, there is plenty to do to get you into the mood for the rains. Plug in your earphones, or blast your speakers with some of the best melancholic musicians out there. Coke Studio is especially recommended to go with the weather. The acoustic songs of the past and present are the best company at times like these. Bon Iver, Rex Orange County, Vance Joy, and the Wallows are just some of the brilliant bands and musicians to suit the mood. Turn up the volume, and switch on the fairy lights for best results.
Be Creative
The rains can be extremely inspirational for all the artists, writers, and musicians out there to create something beautiful. A poem, a song, a painting, nature in all its glory can offer much to be written, sung, or drawn about. If nothing else, you could even turn to the poets and artists of the Romantic era to seek guidance from, on how to appreciate the beauty of nature. While being productive and creative is not a compulsion, the monsoon sure does offer a lot to swoon after in terms of inspiration.
Monsoons are the rebirth of the earth and the replenishment of the tired, dusty cities. They offer a second chance at life to the animate as well as the inanimate.
Feature Image: Mindy Waneger
Meher Gill
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