Tufaan

When rain began hitting the metal air conditioner above my third-floor window just before dawn this morning I didn't know what was happening. I've grown accustomed to the regular sound of pigeons shuffling in the mornings and vying for a sheltered perch during my afternoons naps, but this was the first morning rain since I arrived in India back in February.

As the sun rose the wind gathered intensity and the thunder drew steadily closer. Then the power cut out without so much as a flicker. Without AC, or even a fan to move the air, I decided to try my luck and open the window facing our covered balcony. In an instant, a fresh gust rushed in to replace the stale, warmer air trapped in the bedroom. The power outage, the refreshing breeze, and the sound of morning rain punctuated by occasional thunderclaps provided ideal conditions for blowing off any aspirations to rise early and get to work.  

The power was still out when I finally pulled myself out of bed around 9 am, so I opened other windows to induce a cross-breeze. It's hard to describe the elation at having cool, clean air moving through the apartment again after keeping the place hermetically sealed for weeks on end. Even now, as temps climb back into the high 80s, the windows remain open and shades of the coming monsoon have replaced the interminable heatwave. But it will not last. By the end of the week we'll be pushing 110 again here in Delhi. Through Wednesday, however, overnight lows will fall into the high 70s and daytime highs will stay in the double digits. A few precious moments before the heat and dust return.