A Short Monsoon Diary

The author is not able to see Bijju because of the mist that is hovering on the hillside.

The hills appear to change when the mist spreads over it and hides it. The other way it changes is the silence that spreads because the birds and the trees stop making any noise.

The monsoon season starts from the earl monsoon rains in late June and ends after the August. People prepare for monsoon by completing outdoor needs beforehand. Woman chops sticks, cows are taken out to graze, the house has to be cleaned of the various insects except for chuchundars that people believe bring money to the house etc.

The author describes Mussoorie in his diary entry.

The rain does not stop for eight or nine days. The author doesn’t go out in these days because it is damp everywhere. He sometimes gazes at the colourful umbrellas that can be seen outside and the monsoon flowers like dahlias and ground orchids.

Snakes and rodents take shelter in the roofs, attics and godowns of people’s houses. Their holes and burrows had been flooded with the water from continuous rains so they took shelter elsewhere.

The author received a cheque in his mail which was not a large pay but was still welcomed by him.

The monsoon progresses from a mist to a hailstorm which signals the end of rains. On June 24, a mist covers the hillside that signifies the beginning of monsoon. On June 25, the early monsoon rains start that are warm and not cold like winter rains. Monsoon flowers also start to blossom. By August 2, the rains have become steady and it rains night long but there is not a storm or thunder. March 23 marks the last of the winter rains as the skies get clear from the hailstorm and the author is able to see the rainbow.

The grandmother asks the children to not kill the chuchundar because it was believed that it was lucky for the family as it brought money to the house.

Nature shows many signs that signify the end of the monsoons. The growth of plants of the monsoon season has reached its fullest. Seeds of cobra lily turn red and the fern starts to take yellow colour. Many flowers bloom towards the end of monsoon season like white butterfly orchids, mauve lady’s slipper and wild dahlias of various colours. Snakes and rodents sneak into roofs, attics and godowns of the houses because of continuous rains.

(i) the mist that covers the hillside hides him.

(ii) “the paradise that might have been”.

(iii) catching a dog

(iv) their bright colours can be easily seen among the green leaves.

(v) ground orchids, maude lady’s slipper and white butterfly orchids bloom.

(vi) their own holes and burrows gets flooded by the rainwater.

(i) The writer uses the word ‘springing’ because the tin roofs tend to have unexpected leakages out of nowhere as if the gaps in the roof were springing up.

(ii) The writer is untouched by the rains because the continuous rains cannot touch him as he is protected by the roofs.

(iii) The writer is in touch with the rain at the same time because the sound of the continuous downpour makes him feel as if the rain has become a part of his house and surroundings.

When there is endless rain for days together, all the areas become damp and wet so people avoid stepping out or doing outdoor activities. The hillsides get covered with late monsoon flowers like dahlias and ground orchids.

The cobra lily signifies both beginning and end of monsoon season. It starts to bloom in late June when the early-monsoon rains are just beginning. It also marks the end of monsoon when its seed start to turn red.

Humid, storm, thunder, leaking, damp, soggy, snow, hailstorm, rainbow.

(ii) The traffic stopped. Some people were sitting on the road and they were shouting slogans.

(iii) I wore my raincoat. It was raining and people were getting wet.

(iv) She saw a film. She was narrating it to her friends who were listening carefully.

(v) We went to the exhibition. Some people were buying clothes while others were playing games.

(vi) The class was quiet. Some children were reading books while the rest were drawing.

(i) a) drip

b) drum

c) swish

d) caw

e) tinkle

(ii) i) was drumming

ii) dripped

iii) swished

iv) tinkle

v) cawing

i) sure enough

ii) big enough

iii) colourful enough

iv) brave enough

v) anxious enough

vi) kind enough

vii) serious enough

viii) foolish enough

ix) fair enough

Three superstitions I am familiar with:

(i) Don’t go forward when a black cat crosses the road.

(ii) Keeping footwear upside down leads to family feuds.

(iii) If food falls on the bed, one will have bad dreams.

We come across different kinds of birds like minivets, drongos, tree creepers and crows. We see sparrows, pigeons and nightingales in our neighbourhood. Earlier we used to find big birds like kites and parrots but these have become extinct now.

It was the monsoon season in Delhi. Rains do not come often to Delhi. From the balcony of my house, I was watching the rain falling on the leaves of trees, balconies of other houses and puddles in the water. I was a little sad that on such an amazing day, I couldn’t play in the rain. I was sitting there when I heard one of my friends shouting from downstairs. Her voice was not very audible because of the sound of rain. I went down excited anyway. When I went down I saw more of my friends and I was suddenly very enthusiastic. We all jumped into the rain and then started dancing and singing the song ‘Barso re megha’. After quite some time passed, we all went back with our hearts happy. Mom had prepared Maggi for me. It became one of my fondest memories of monsoon.

OR

The green in the tree

Spoke its tale

Of growing from a sapling

Beside the village rail.

Every passenger of the train

Looked at it with wonder

As it stood adorned with blossoms

And tender green grass under.

The birds would come chirping

Finding shelter in its shade

The girls would come giggling

To put flowers on their braid.

The green in the tree

Spoke its tale

Of growing from a sapling

Beside the village rail.

Poems have a rhyme scheme and are not made of complete sentences. So when they are read aloud, they sound musical. They describe feelings and emotions beautifully through various tools like alliteration and personification. They are very pleasant to listen to or read. The beauty of the poem does not just lie in the order of the word but also how the words are used to describe a given thing. So, the given definition is correct.

The poem suggests that the poetry of earth is made up of the songs of nature. In the summer when birds are tired of the hot sun, the grasshopper spreads cheer. In winters, when there is complete silence from the cold, the cricket’s song spreads warmth. Like that, the poetry of earth never stops.

(i) “In summer- he has never done”

(ii) “ The cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,”

Warmth

The first season is summer, represented by grasshopper and the second season is winter, represented by the cricket.