Storm coming

Mayapur storms truly are amazing. When I first arrived here, a storm brewed four nights later, while Mandakini and I were walking back from Jaya's school. She told me to head out to my balcony or up to the roof when the rain hits. "There's nothing quite like a Mayapur storm". We quickened our steps home, the wind lifting our dhupattas high in the air as it got stronger.

I got home just before the rain hit, followed Mandakini's advice and sat on the balcony under the cool rain. It was still March, so the weather hadn't been extremely hot, but hotter than my cold NZ body was used to, and the refreshing rain brought my heated body temperature right down. The lighting lit up the sky as if it were day time, making jagged outlines in the sky. "It’s just like you see in the movies", and the thunder was so loud I jumped out of my skin a couple of times. Everything was so much more extreme than I was used to - the wind so strong, the rain so heavy, the lightning so bright, the thunder so loud. I sat out on the balcony for about 15 minutes, soaking up this brilliant welcome to Mayapur.

Every storm since then has been different.

Sometimes you can see it coming when you're swimming in Ganga, or walking back from the temple, and you make a mad dash home to close all the doors and windows so they don't bang loudly back and forth, and grab the washing before the wind steals it away. Sometimes you watch from the windows as that forceful wind thrashes and whips the trees around, and wonder how it is that they don't come crashing down and how is it that everything seems so peaceful and still the next morning. Sometimes you try to capture the awesome-ness on camera, video, anything, so you can share with everyone how awesomly awesome it is! Sometimes you simply stand under the rain on the balcony, and close your eyes, thanking Krsna for the small relief from the extreme heat you've been struggling with all day.

Tonights storm happened quickly, or perhaps I just didn't see it coming this time. The rain hasn't started yet, so I shall head out to the balcony for a cool shower and a lightning show like no other.

Come see a Mayapur storm. You won't be disappointed.