HYDERABAD: It’s that time of year when Hyderabad transforms into a chaotic blend of puddles, traffic jams, and wet clothes. We all know it’s coming — like an uninvited relative who shows up every year — yet somehow, we’re never quite ready for it. Whether you’re a fan of the rain or someone who wishes clouds came with an on-off switch, here are a few types of rain I have observed.
Tears in heaven
You know that feeling when the rain starts to fall gently, like someone in heaven is watching the last scene of Taare Zameen Par (or whatever your favourite tearjerker is). The drops fall so sparsely that each one feels like it’s been handpicked to land on your cheek, making you suddenly reflective, searching for a reason to get emotional. For farmers, this rain is like the 2% hike an IT employee gets — barely noticeable, but it’s something. Personally, I enjoy this type of rain because it’s breezy, it doesn’t cause billboards to collapse, and, most importantly, it doesn’t turn the city’s traffic into a game of ‘statue’.
But it’s not raining here, ‘na’?
This is my least favourite type of rain — the one where it’s pouring buckets at your place, so you call your boss, deciding to be honest for once. But your boss, who is experiencing nothing but sunshine, thinks you’re lying and insists you come to work. You try explaining that clouds don’t form in the exact shape of the Hyderabad map, but it’s of no use. Resigned, you hop on your Activa and head to the office. You arrive soaked to the bone, like a drenched towel fresh out of the washing machine, dripping with every step, only to hear your boss say, “Oh, you’re so wet.”
Hard rain
This rain is like a relative with a vendetta — it shows up with a vengeance for two hours, but those two hours are enough to bring the city to its knees. It’s as if Hyderabad took a loan and didn’t pay it back, and now the clouds have come to collect. The streets disappear and crocodiles appear. If you’re home, it’s the perfect time to play ‘Zara Zara’ and make babies. But if you are outside ‘Zara Bachke’, take refuge under the metro pillar and update the pillar number as your permanent address in your aadhaar card.
Test match rain
Just like a test match, this rain means business. It’s on a mission to dump every droplet of water vapour onto the land. Hyderabad has serious PTSD from this kind of rain, thanks to the Great Flood of 1908 and more recently, 2020. This isn’t the time for paper boats; real boats are the order of the day. Schools shut down, and finally, your boss admits that it’s raining and graciously allows you to work from home. Thank you, nature!
So, there you have it — Hyderabad’s monsoon: wet, wild, and always worth a laugh.
(The writer’s views are his own)