Bhopal, June 24 -- The onset of rains triggers city matrons into bee-like activity. Cleaning, clearing, stocking and sun-drying become pre-monsoon rituals - almost instinctive, like nesting before a storm. Pickle jars are sealed. Rice and flour are laid out to soak up the sun. Linen is pulled out of trunks and towels inspected. The house is readied not just for the rain, but for all the stubborn, lingering mess it brings.
Rain means many things to many people. For the serious, it's an annual civic catastrophe - one that leaves them muttering under their breath as they try to fight off Chitti on clothes and Kanaandh in corners, while dodging open drains and flooded roads the civic body forgot to desilt. Others seem completely at ease. They ...