Raj Gaurav Debnath: Rain

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I just love rainfall. I just love it. I love it more than anything else in the world. More than Money, Women, Sex, Fame, Power, Glory, Immortality etc. Whenever it rains and if I happen to be at home at that time then I always sit beside my window and watch the rainfall with a hot cup of Chafee (coffee mixed in tea) and I always listen to Kabir Suman's songs. And every time I miss my first girlfriend who now stays in U.S.A. with her husband. Just at that moment Kabir Suman sings, Sraboney Sraboney Aami Tomaakey Chai, Okaalbodhoney Aami Tomaakey Chai...

Fourteen years back on my birthday it had rained a lot that morning. It did not rain cats and dogs but rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses. Several parts of Calcutta were waterlogged. Still she came to my place braving all the water. She almost had to swim to reach my house. She had made a special birthday card for me. She didn't buy any greetings card from the market as she firmly believed that those commercial cards would not be able to convey her feelings properly. On the cover of the card, she drew the picture herself and decorated it with colours and glitter. I still have that card with me.

In the early nineties I used to love the above rain song very much. It was sweet, simple and innocent. There was indeed an innocent feel to this song. The lyrics were simple and the music was light and catchy. The female model was Aditi Govitrikar. Back in those days this song was shown in Superhit Muqabla on Doordarshan.

In my childhood days, I used to be very happy when our school used to declare holiday on account of a rainy day. I hated getting up early and going to school.

In the mid nineties, once there was tremendous rainfall and the whole of Calcutta was almost flooded for like two/three days. Water had entered the ground floor of our house. We mostly ate Khichudi for those two/three days. Thankfully my mom had stocked Maggi beforehand. The Statesman newspaper had dubbed Calcutta as The Venice Of The East.

Then as I started growing up and hormones took control of my body, I started loving this rain song more and more. In those days Raveena Tandon was the hottest "cheeeez" in the universe.

In 2001 I bought Shilajit's album 'X=Prem' from Music World at Park Street on a rainy afternoon. I came back home and listened to it throughout the evening. It was a rainy day. It also rained throughout the night as well. In my mind the album got somehow associated with rainfall. Whenever it used to rain, I used to listen to this album back in those days.

As I grew up I started loving the monsoon songs by Rabindranath Tagore. Loved songs like Nil Anjanghono Punjochhayay, Aaji Jhorer Ratey Tomar Obhishar, Abar Esechhey Ashaar, Aami Tokhon Chhilem Mogon Gohon Ghumer Ghorey, Amar Priyar Chhaya etc.

During my childhood, our locality used to get water logged, even after a medium sized downpour. I remember that I used to float paper boats once the rain had subsided. A few years back I did the same again. I wrote about it here.

Making love to a woman with rainfall in the background is another fascinating experience. Especially on a rainy night. I have always been fascinated by the smell and sound of rainfall. The smell makes me instantly happy. The sound is melody to my ear-drums. When I was born, that day it had rained a lot. And it was Janmastami too.

In St. Xavier's College, whenever it used to rain, I used to go to our top floor balcony and watch the rainfall from there. It used to be a beautiful sight. Sometimes I used to keep my bag and mobile phone with a friend and go out on our huge playground and get wet. Others would soon join me. It used to be fun. I sometimes used to wonder whether I would be hit by a lightning!

These days whenever it rains, and if I happen to be in Park Street, I then always go and sit inside Au Bon Pain, on the window side with tea or coffee. And watch the world go by.

Many years back, there was a film titled 'Monsoon' which was directed by Jag Mundhra. It was probably released in 1999. The film had Helen Brodie and Gulshan Grover. I had gone to see some other film at Lighthouse Cinema and there I saw the trailer of 'Monsoon'. I was so titillated by the trailer that the very next week I went to watch the film. Felt extremely horny before the screening. Though the film was a damper. There was one good sensuous scene though.

I have seen so many cricket matches which were interrupted by rain. Its a really damn irritating thing when the Rain Gods interrupt a live cricket match. This year on the day of the India-Pakistan T20 match at Eden Gardens, it rained a lot. The match was reduced to eighteen overs per side. Strangely enough, there was no rain the day before and the day after the match.

And yes, I am a Pluviophile...

Here are my ten favourite rain songs in Hindi (in no particular order) :

Pyaar Hua, Ikraar Hua from Shree 420. The three kids walking in the rain were Randhir Kapoor (then 8 years old), Rishi Kapoor (3 years) and their sister Ritu (6 years).