Catch the rain!

It has been pouring cats and dogs the whole of this week! We are well into August and the rains don’t seem to let up! The last weekend at Dharmasthala was drenched in rain and the rain seemed to follow us even when we returned to Bangalore! Well, at the risk of sounding repetitive, this weather is reminiscent of the weather in Portland where we had lived for two years ….almost two years ago! I guess the cloudy days, the damp atmosphere and the  “any-time downpour” has Bangalore switching places with any coastal city! I must say that I quite enjoy the cloudy days as the sun doesn’t seem oppressive when hidden behind the clouds, but it is better to be all rained in than being out in rain! Of course….that’s why we are boring grown-ups!

Abhay enjoyed himself in the coastal rain last weekend at Dharmasthala and for some reason insisted on filling up buckets with rainwater. A noble idea indeed as he was probably doing his own little “rain water harvesting” but I’m not sure if you would feel the same if you have to empty bucket after bucket only to have him fill the next one readied to be emptied again! J Anyway, today I read to him a book that talks about just that “Lets catch the rain” by Vinod Lal Heera Kishwar of “Let’s plant trees” fame. I happen to lay my hands on the Kannada version “Male Hididukollona” translated by S. Divakar which I found just right for Abhay’s reading level in the kannada language. Emphasizing the importance of conserving rainwater, the author calls for everyone to catch the rain wherever and in whatever way they can , from buckets and bottles, pots and pans, balloons and overturned umbrellas to wells and coconut shells, and not to forget in tanks and buildings facilitated by rain water harvesting. A simple message of water conservation and environment friendly practices conveyed through striking pencil sketch like illustrations! A nice little one for the monsoon! :-)