The sounds of rain!

Rain as a “visual” spectacle is fascinating. It is equally enthralling to look at the “world of sound” associated with rain. As we focus on the aural aspect, more details emerge and we appreciate rain’s unique soundscape. 

You retire for the day, pull the curtains and lie down in bed. All is quiet. The silence of the night is punctured by a storm that is brewing outside. The whisper of the wind gives way to a stiff breeze. It picks up momentum- you hear the wail of the wind and the spooky rattle of the window. The trees sway, branches creak, leaves rustle and twigs snap and crackle. Streaks of lightning knife through the curtain. There is a rumble of thunder like the dribble of a drum and one deafening strike! And now, the rain comes down in a gentle pitter-patter. 

It is like an orchestra that starts with the strain of a single violin. More violins join, and then comes the Cello and Trumpet and finally the Clarinet and Bugle to complete the symphony. So too, rain builds up into a torrent now- it pounds the roof and lashes the window. From the edge of the roof-top, a wall of water gushes down. The entire neighborhood is a swirling river, the competing streams gurgle as they rush down the slushy slope. Sometimes, rain makes a sudden exit, as dramatic as its entry. You part the curtains and peer into the night. The trees shrug off the water droplets hanging on their leaf-tips! A new, noisy choir takes over- the chirp of the cricket, the croak of the frog and the flutter of night-flies. In the aftermath of the storm, the cracks in the ceiling make their presence felt. You place a bucket to avoid the floor puddle and now, in the gathering silence, the plop of each drop is so much more amplified! The swish of a distant car on the wet road completes the picture for the night. 

To travel through the Western Ghats in a night train, is a great opportunity to tune in to the sounds of rain. During the rainy season, this stretch comes alive. You lie down on the berth and prick up your ears. You listen to the reverberating boom as the train enters the tunnel and hear the clatter of water running down the rocky crevices. As the train emerges from the tunnel, the sounds of the rain-fed mountain-stream and waterfall mingle with the shower of rain against the window. And in unison with the train’s rhythmic rattle, it is a musical act, all its own. 

During the monsoon, a house on an ocean front is not for the faint-hearted! The wind, rain and ocean join hands to create a racket. You hear the chorus-the incessant downpour and the ocean’s increasing ferocity as the tidal waves crash against the embankment and threaten to reach the living-room! 

Artists attempt to capture the mystique of rain through ragas like “Amritavarshini” and “Miyan ki Malhar”. The phenomenon is beyond expression; still, we struggle to give it a contour, at least an abstract “sound-form”. The musician explores the nuances of the raga leisurely, building it up phrase by phrase. In his expert hands, the myriad feelings evoked by rain pour out- of separation and longing, of wonder and amazement, of happiness and exhilaration! Through art and through music, we pay our humble tribute to Mother Nature’s greatest gift- the magic of rain!