Seasonal Work

The umbrella repair man

is very much in demand, just now.
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Pictures taken in Thoppumpady, Kerala.

Monsooned!

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As the monsoon continues to fall on the Malabar coast,
There is just the one option:

Picture taken while the rain falls in Palace Road, Cochin.

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Change And Decay

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The house and yard were cleaned and painted, inside and out, just ten months ago.

But since then the annual monsoon has fallen: five months of rain.

What human hands made spick and span, nature has quietly reclaimed.

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Inside, damp patches have appeared on walls, and a picture has been invaded by moulds,

Front,

 

And back.

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Outside in the yard, walls that gleamed in bright paint a few months ago

Now host algae

And mosses.

 

Once proud gate towers have become outposts of an infant jungle.

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It is time to summon a workforce. The annual repaint is due.

Soon all should be clean and shining bright.

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Night Of Wrath

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“..and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.”

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Temple To The Arts

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During the monsoon rains I visit a temple dedicated to the performing arts.

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Washing The Monsoon Away

The front yard appeared to be covered with a sprinkling of icing sugar.

Bleach powder had been liberally applied:

Shaji has decided the monsoon mould and algae needs addressing.

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The next morning Shaji and Sumant are busy with water-hose and  brush;

Their soaking, soft-shoe shuffle.

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Hartal Haiku

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Bandh: streets lie empty.

Monsoon sickness entraps me.

My camera sleeps.

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Powerless, lights dim.

Rain drenched cables fall silent.

Now, soliloquy.

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Bandh

Hartal

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Rain Trees And Sun

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While the monsoon continues, day-break brings new road-blocks.

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The local Rain Trees regularly shed their sodden boughs.

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To balance this annual attrition, new roadside trees are planted.

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But for now, blue skies promise – and deliver – a day of sunshine.

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Après Le Déluge

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“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain”  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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The south-west monsoon is with us until September.

After staying for several months there will be a short respite.

Then more rain: the north-east monsoon.

Five months of heavy, but fortunately, intermittent rain;

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And the parade ground given over to cattle.

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A Question Of Balance

It was one of those mornings.

The local LG Service Centre had called to say my DVD player was ready for collection, following its recent malfunction.  I decided to combine the trip with buying coffee.

The taxi driver was new to me; his driving style unnerving.

The weather was poor.

Rain

And more rain.

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For an hour, I sat in the back of the car.

The driver alternated between rapid accelerations and emergency stops. His hand continuously sounded the horn.

I felt nauseous and bad-tempered.

We finally reached our destination. But the service centre had inexplicably re-located since my last visit. A move not mentioned when they called, and signed only by the damp sheet of paper, pasted on the door of the old premises.

Their new workshop was a few kilometres away, across the city.

Forty-five minutes and several phone calls later, we found it.

After waiting a while, the DVD player was produced. I asked to see it tested.

It failed.

I sulked.

During the return journey, following yet another emergency stop, I pointedly readjusted my seat-belt.

I put my hand on the driver’s shoulder and made it clear he must ration the use of his horn.

The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence, with me half-wishing the driver would make a foolish mistake, to further justify both my opinion of him, and my irritation.

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We reached Ravi’s Coffee Shop.

Ravi, himself, was there.

The sights and smells were comforting and absorbing.

Ravi’s quiet dignity; his calm, noble face; and his gentle smile brought me to my senses.

I started to see my frustrations in perspective. I began to laugh at myself.

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Living abroad entails many changes.

One of them is the loss of language proficiency.

Facing the challenge of LG’s repair-shop, and an over enthusiastic boy-racer, my first inclination had been sarcasm: a skill I spent decades honing before retirement.

But my Malayalam is non-existent, and local English is limited.

Sarcasm achieves nothing.

A more balanced approach to life’s small frustrations is now required.

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“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration..  I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less clearing up to do afterwards.”   Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

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