Drench words
Think rains, and for many avid readers, a book that swiftly comes to mind would be Chasing the Monsoon: A modern pilgrimage through India by Alexander Frater. The book chronicles the author’s journey across India in pursuit of the rain, delving into its impact on society, culture, and politics.
Rain, as a literary device, recurs with compelling symbolism across genres and cultures. In Haruki Murakami’s South of the Border, West of the Sun, rain is tied to the reappearance of Shimamoto, Hajime’s childhood sweetheart. Every time she enters the narrative, they are associated with rain.
In One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, there’s a line that goes: “It rained for four years, eleven months, and two days.” The torrential rain begins from the night of the massacre of banana workers and it continues, it serves as a symbolic cleansing, and reshaping the town of Macondo.
In The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield, set in the fictional Indian city of Ranchipur, monsoon arrives with devastating floods, and through the destruction comes a transformation. The key characters in particular reevaluate their lives and relationships as they begin to re-prioritise what, and who, is important to them.
Rain inspired poems can’t go without mentioning Rain by Edward Thomas. He uses the weather to set the mood of his wartime poem that captures solitude and mortality. Some other picks are Song for the Rainy Season’ by Elizabeth Bishop, A Line -Storm Song by Robert Frost, and The Rainy Day by Rabindranath Tagore.
In Malayalam, Rathrimazha by Sugathakumari, Mazha Pusthakam by Tony Chittetukalam, Mazhakaalam by Anvar Ali, and Thoraamazha by Rafeeq Ahamad are some works that rush to mind.
Rain & rhythm
It was raining then. She lay in her coffin, covered in her wedding dress. The rains were there when they were getting married; it rained catastrophe on them as they rejoiced; and it rained tears as her fiance sang the November Rain for her.
The scene, the setting, and Axyl Rose who led the Guns n Roses band to make this song, all left indelible imprints. November Rain still remains a tearful ode that many music lovers hold close to their hearts.
It’s difficult to decipher rain. But music has been able to do it to some extent. Since days of yore. The Indian systems of music have even chronicled it.
Hindustani and Carnatic musicians saw not just emotions in it, but a structure of rhythms and rhymes, which they claimed could even evoke rain. Like Tansen did with the raga he created — Megh Malhar. There is a rain raga in Carnatic as well — Amritavarshini. It was used by the legendary composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar in the evergreen composition Anandamritakarshini.
“The essence of such ragas may be to create a feeling of rain-soaked bliss,” says Sreevalsan Menon who has an album titled ‘Monsoon Anuraga’ to his credit.
Among the evergreen rain songs is the one in the 1960s classic The Sound of Music where a lovelorn pair sings ‘I am 16, going on 17’ as it rains outside. In Hindi, the song ‘Kali ghata chaay mora’ (Sujata) is passionate in its restraint. Oh, who can forget ‘Rimjhim gire sawan’ (Manzil)? Or ‘Pyar hua ikrar hua’ (Shri 420)? Some steam? How about ‘Tip, tip barsa paani’(Mohra)?
In Malayalam, too, there are plenty of tunes drenched in rain. Among them, songs of ‘Mazha’, fashioned from a Kamala Das story titled Nashtapetta Neelambari, would surely top many lists. ‘Megham poothuthudangi’ (Thoovanathumbikal), Pranayamani thooval pozhiyum (Azhakiya Ravanan), ‘Mazhayulla rathriyil manasinte’ (Kadha), ‘Pavizha mazhaye’ (Athiran), ‘Mazhaye thoomazhaye’ (Pattam Pole)... Gosh, this list can go on and on!
Movie muse
Rain feels different to everyone. And it’s hard to think of anything else in nature that shifts its mood so easily and so personally as rain. In cinema, too, rain takes on many shades of meaning. It slips quietly into countless films sometimes as a whisper, other times with sudden intensity.
And in some, it turns into a presence, a rhythm, almost a character. So much so that when we think of those films, it feels as if the rain itself is pouring through our memories.
Padmarajan’s Thoovanathumbikal fits right into this idea. Raindrops play a catalyst in the inexplicable chemistry between Jayakrishnan and Clara.
Perumazhakkalam can’t be forgotten easily. The film lets the downpour carry the weight of sorrow and longing. There’s hardly a scene without rain, and after a point, its relentlessness begins to feel tiring, much like the emotional state the characters are trapped in.
In Aamir Khan’s Lagaan, rain arrives softly and suddenly after the villagers’ hard-fought victory, bringing relief and renewal. It’s a moment that feels less like a grand climax and more like a release.
The Hollywood film The Notebook presents a different kind of rain. In the iconic boat scene, as Noah and Allie argue and then reconcile with a passionate kiss, the sky opens up, drenching them in rain that feels as emotionally charged as their rekindled love. Even those who don’t like the film can’t help but love this scene.
And who can forget Don Lockwood dancing through the wet streets in Singin’ in the Rain, his umbrella twirling like a carefree child lost in joy. The rain became a celebration, capturing the pure euphoria of a man swept away by love.
It rained in Vaishali like a force both awaited and feared. After twelve years of silence, the skies wept to Rishyasringa’s yagna, and the parched kingdom erupted in song, dance, and delirium (‘Dhum dhum dhum dhundubhi nadam...’). Amidst that, Vaishali and her mother Malini are forgotten, trampled in the melee. In this unforgettable climax, Bharathan shows rain’s many faces.
And then there was Jude Anthany’s 2018. A film where rain did not romance but rupture. People could not watch it without taking a deep breath, remembering the ordeal that changed how Malayalis viewed rain.
Strokes from the sky
An 18th century painting shows the tranquil meadows of Vrindavan where Lord Krishna played out his pastimes. There is no rain, but the dark clouds and Krishna’s grant of cover to the Gopis from the showers are used to depict the love that he had for the naive villagers of Gokul.
The picture belongs to the Rajputana style and is currently at the Smithsonian Institute. It’s testimony to the power of the monsoon in influencing hearts that speak through colours and strokes.
Browsing through classic frames themed on rain is probably the best way to drift away with the dark clouds hovering above us.
Another wonderful work reflecting rain splendour is French artist Gustave Caillebotte’s ‘The Yerres, Rain’ made in 1875. River Yerres, towards the southeast of Paris, is quite a mirror that lifts up the texture of the rain drops.
Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Rain’ evokes a transcendental peace. Made in 1889, it still remains an ode to the mystery moods that rain creates.
While Ukrainian artist Marie Bashkirtseff’s ‘The Umbrella’ (1883) is a poignant pick, German artist Franz Marc’s ‘In the Rain’ is about nature’s vibrance.
Raja Ravi Varma’s ‘Sri Rama’s Anger’ is set with an overcast sky with a streak of lightning in the backdrop. Recent artists too have displayed their love for the rain. Among them are Brajbhushan Dhurve’s depiction of tribal women working in the rains, Paresh Maity, who uses an interplay of colours to bring out monsoon moods, and Manu Parekh, whose ‘Banaras in Monsoon’ is seen below.
