The Manipal Rain...

It wouldn't be very wrong to synonymize Manipal with rain. 
The way I look at it, there are only two seasons in Manipal: monsoons & non-monsoons. The other seasons just seem to merge with these somehow, whenever given the chance, but if there’s one thing that you can be sure of, it is the rain.
It will come!!

As I sit here beside the lone window in my room listening to some beautiful music, I am witness to a steady shower accentuating the already darkening evening outside. I guess it was plain lucky that I got an east-facing room in this hostel, coz be it any day of the year, I can always see a plethora of greenery and some really quaint houses across the road from this window. And not to forget the really beautiful sunrises that I get to enjoy regularly...

This isn’t really a time for rain here – but we do get a lot of rain all through the year, even apart from the Monsoons. Of course, the Gods go overboard in these parts showering their love during the Monsoons and of course, many people here get flustered when it keeps raining and raining for days on end… but personally, I really love it!

Maybe it reminds me of home... I’ve seen it rain incessantly for weeks here too – something that can happen only in a hilly place. And that’s another reason why I like Manipal so much: the gently undulating hillside with a view of a vast valley on the eastern side definitely resembles my very own Doon valley! Of course, the breathtaking view of the expansive Arabian Sea on the western side is something that can't even be imagined back home... and it definitely adds to the appeal of this place a lot.

Well, coming back to the rain, monsoons really are an amazing experience here. First of all, the quantity. Monsoon lasts from roughly mid-May to mid-October, give or take a couple of weeks. And in the peak months of July-August, it rains cats and dogs and it rains for weeks together without a stop – often it’ll rain so heavily that the very expression raining “cats and dogs” might be safely replaced by “bears and lions”!!

Next, the quality. I’ve seen steady rain, waxing-&-waning rain, intermittent rain, and sudden unexpected heavy showers between stunningly sunny weather. I’ve seen the rain playing with the wind, coming in all sorts of directions – even horizontally – and I’ve been caught in rain coming seemingly from all directions simultaneously, making a joke of my heavy-duty umbrella. Fact is, if the monsoon rain wants to get you, it definitely will! No matter how hard you try to avoid it or protect yourself from it. What’s the point of fighting it then, I wonder??

Saying that rains are unpredictable in the “non-monsoon” times would just be an understatement. It can rain virtually any time, no matter what the season. A couple of sunny days – a hot week at the most – and sure enough heavy clouds will come running to make amends. Often these so called “off season” rains will be accompanied by light squalls, which make the weather even more beautiful and endearing. In fact, it is the non-monsoon season that gets uncomfortable because of the sweaty humid heat typical of coastal areas, and the occasional spells of rain provide substantial relief from that overbearing heat.

It never gets cold here either, no winter season here. Rather, the typical “cold” months of November through February are the ones when there’s relatively little rain and so it can get quite hot. But whenever it does rain, regardless of the time of the year, it does get a bit chilly. Ok, not so much for me I guess (I am still too north Indian to actually feel cold here), but you do tend to come down on the fan a couple of points, even switch it off at night. And usually it will be accompanied by a cozy mist, sometimes even a fog, making the atmosphere even more romantic!!

As a nature lover, one can't help but realize that the pristine beauty of this place is all because of the substantial amount of rain it receives. When I first came here, I was really amazed by the greenery that was evident as far as the eyes could see. Manipal is surrounded by vegetation of all kinds – coastal, agricultural and forest. One sees coconut trees nearly everywhere, beautiful paddy fields along the endless stretches of its rivers and backwaters, and then there are dense forests stretching endlessly along the Western Ghats and further east. As such this place is a traveler and photographer's delight, no matter what the season. Plus, the pollution free atmosphere and post-rain brilliant light and visibility are treats in themselves! Really a place one MUST visit sometime in life!!

As I finish this piece, it's become quite dark outside and the rain has picked up again. A deluge now… there go my plans of going for a walk outside & a quiet dinner!! But then, you never know... it’s Manipal!!