A Weekend Break: From Umbrella To Parasol
The parking attendant of a sari showroom in Kannur shelters from the sun.
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The monsoon has finally relaxed its heavy grip on Kerala.
Though floods devastate the northern states of Assam and Sikkim, we in south India are no longer inundated by the rains.
After weeks of feeling almost imprisoned, I took the opportunity to visit a friend in Kannur, a city in northern Kerala, two hundred and fifty kilometres from Cochin.
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Umbrella or Parasol?
Although we tend to use the word parasol when sheltering from the sun, umbrella is just as accurate.
*The word umbrella comes from the Latin “umbra”, meaning shade or shadow.
(The Latin word, in turn, derives from the Ancient Greek ómbros [όμβρος].)
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* Taken from Wikipedia
A Growth Spurt
A small banana shoot was planted in my yard a few months back.
After seven months of tropical sunshine and monsoon rains, it has grown a little:
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Fruit, I am informed, will take several more months.
But meanwhile, the leaves can be used as plates and some of the flowers, once they arrive, can be served in a masala mix.
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November Mornings
November mornings bring the return of a milder climate.
Monsoon battered shrubs come back into flower.
Lightness seems to pervade everyone and everything.
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Under The Midday Sun
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“When the morning’s freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday…” Dag Hammarskjold
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Walking On Sunshine?
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The rain has stopped.
The sky is clear.
Time for a walk down to the bank.
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But I arrive at the ATM only to realise my cash card is lost.
Walking on sunshine, as I return home, feels just a tad more fraught.
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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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Neither Use Nor Ornament 