Come rains and all memorable events from our childhood come gushing back and make a beeline. The good old childhood days of rushing to the rooftop and drenching in rains to the core, Playing in the rain in the driveways and cycling in the streets on wet muddy puddles, we actually threw all caution to air. Post that we gobbled up the hot Pakoras, Maal puaas, Jalebis, Samosa and more of such fried delicacies..after all those hectic engagements calories was never a concern for us or our mommies. Oh! How I miss those good old days.
TAKE TWO: Come rains and there is no more rushing out to get drenched. Hearing the adventures of the same from mommy or papa is enough to do the trick. Even when the kids genuinely want to enjoy the rains there is every possible discussion in the house about how rains have a direct connection with the cough-cold-allergies , fungal and bacterial infections that can make the kids unwell and in bed for days , of how pollution and environmental hazards (dirt and dust etc) have made rainwater unfit for all purposes. Yes they can now be complacent with eating pakoras (though in balance: thanks to all the reports on OBESITY IN KIDS TODAY!!!! ), hot chocolate milk or maalpuaas (a luxury: provided mommy dear is in a mood too cook and has been handed over the recipe ).
Its not that today’s kids do not love the smell of wet soil when it rains , the pitter patter of raindrops and the heavenly feeling of raindrops falling on their bare body but I guess with so many new and medicine resistant infections /allergies cropping up these days, we as parents are quite happy watching rains from a distance and so is with our kids. Enjoying rains have taken a new meaning. Today rains is more about hopping into the cars for a long drive , checking into a drive through the likes of McDonalds to have a hot snacky bite and return home ensuring that not even a single rain drop touches our body ..after all its about enjoying the rains with all the caution gear on!!!
I feel we were blessed to witness some really wonderful times where rains were about pure abandoned fun & enjoyment rather than a compromise. Today rains dilute the fun quotient by bringing along the worries of getting unwell , of choosing extra carefully what to eat (hygiene concerns abound )and where not to eat, of being caged indoors (NO PARK TIME for kids!!!), OF MOSQUITO BITES and infections like malaria, gastroenteritis, etc, water logged streets and bad traffic and so much more. Though rains are a soothing anchors for us adults yet keeping the reality of environmental changes and concerns in mind we should not mind being flexible and tweaking our patterns to create some new age memories.
In the present scenario the upshot should be “Enjoy the rains despite the odds but keep updating your past models and memories by building up on your kitty of wow – moments for the wonderful rainy season.”