This year the monsoon season took its own sweet time to make its presence felt, it arrive late but it was a welcome respite. It’s been raining continuously off and on for the last week. Last night will be a night to be remembered for eons, the thunder that Abu experienced was out of this world. In all my years of experiencing lightning storms and thunder I have never ever heard the clash of thunder as of last night. It was as if the gods were in a mean mood and they were hurdling blots of excessive lightning that caused the windows in our homes to rattle with the huge booms of thunder. Some folks thought it was the end of the word as they associated it with the total eclipse of the sun that had taken place earlier.
The thunder was so dramatic that it felt like some A-Bombs had been let loose; the rumbles that followed seemed to last forever, it was like living on another planet. It will be a day to remember, as for the eclipse it had no effect on us folks here at Abu as the whole of Abu was covered with heavy mist and cloud cover. We folks are keeping not only our fingers crossed but our toes as well that this monsoon season goes off well. If the monsoons are poor we are going to be in for a rough year next year.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Mount Abu “A ghost town July, 3, 2009”
The Day Abu Stood Still: A Community’s Quest to Appease the Rain Gods
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| Mount Abu town deserted on July 3, 2009 |
On July 3, 2009, its residents deserted the tiny, one-horse town of Abu. This wasn’t because of a curfew, a ban of any sort, government intervention, or a natural disaster like an erupting volcano. Instead, it was a combined effort by the Banya community and other citizens to appease the rain gods, hoping for abundant rainfall in the upcoming monsoon season. They dedicated the entire day to performing “Havans” (sacred fire rituals) and praying to the rain gods, combining their spiritual endeavours with a community picnic.
Interestingly, before the Havans began, the sky turned overcast, and by afternoon, it rained, hinting at the monsoon. But then something went amiss. Was it the weather presenter’s forecast that failed, or did the smoke from the pure ghee offerings during the Havan not appease the rain gods? Or perhaps it was human greed that disrupted the natural order.
We often blame global warming for our woes, but maybe it’s our own actions that have led us here. If we could curb our greed and heed the warnings nature gives us, we might create a better, cleaner world.
If these thoughts resonate with you, do yourself a favour and listen to the voices of today’s youth. Click the link below or copy and paste it into your browser.
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