Drenched, Yet Quenched!

11th November 2022

Everything begins with a simple conversation. Especially if the gesture of having the conversation is at the right time and right mood., for example a friend calls you suddenly just to ask your wellbeing and you go like ‘yes telepathy works, I was wanting to talk to you for a long time!’ or sometimes, you pass by a stranger having his/her lunch and you ask if they minded your company. In some cases, it might just stop by being momentarily awkward and in some cases, you might end up having a friend! It's okay to have lunch alone, after all me time is the best time, anyone can have.

Something similar led to this day of beautiful moments, pouring rains and splashing trails. When K called me 2 months back, I wasn’t aware that this day will come so soon. She with a pale voice yet practical to move on gesture invited me to her marriage and asked me to plan this trip as early as possible. Yes of course the inevitable one ‘Panda’ was also going to join us in the journey. However, as the date neared, the weather announcement also worsened. Anyway, that wasn’t going to be a barrier. So, I reached a day prior to ‘The day’ and got acquainted with the surrounding and the people and befriended a sweet little girl whom I would refer as ‘D’ (will also provide a reason for this letter). We were around each other and created a beautiful bonding. Shared lot of stories wherein she mentioned that BTS is apparently her favorite band! Fair enough. Moving forward, I kept counting ticks of time as to when my dear panda would arrive, and things would be more delightful. Amid all the rush, celebration, laughter and preparation there was someone else who was waiting to shower her blessing – the rain! She wasn’t very curious but after the quiet evening, she couldn’t hold on too much and started pouring as if someone reminded her of something overwhelming. Hush! Calmness was replaced with hustles of water; rush of breeze was replaced dripping water and now my mind started to fill with queries on the journey taken by panda with assurance that he will be fine and good to reach on time.

On the other hand, we reach the temple for the auspicious ceremony waiting for the arrival of bride and groom. Being an important "muhartam" (auspicious day, time) as it goes, the temple was supposed to conduct around 10 marriages in the span of 3-5hrs. The rain is overwhelmed by this and doesn’t stop showering. With all the dampness and water everywhere, the ceremony takes place joyously along with super happy blessings for the couple. Now, after all these marriage bells it was time to return home, but how? At that moment I started questioning my idea of wearing saree and heels and all the denting painting. So, again panda to the rescue, ready with raincoats we decide to take the rainy stride to home. The raincoats gave way, and we literally had no option but to get drenched completely. I was little lucky since I was a pillion protected by the rider. Omg! Just a 10 min route and drenched in rain! Nevertheless, nothing mattered as it gave me a beautiful feeling of enjoying the moment. It quenched the thirst of riding by a lush green land with water splashes everywhere and my favorite person alongside. I understand that the rider didn’t have a very pleasant ride, but I couldn’t smile on the situation we were in.

Some moments are never foreseen yet spoken at intervals and especially if it's me and panda are a part of any conversation. I understand many a time we only try to blame any situation but never thank the creator for those precious timings. When a favorite group is together, we eventually forget to click pictures because we keep creating those memories in our mind and later repent the scarcity of the pictures, hilarious but true!

Anyway, all the hustles, rush, curiosity and drenching were more than enough for me to have a beautiful memory for life! It definitely quenched my eagerness of enjoying every moment!