B’lureans soak in joy as morning rain pounds city

Bengaluru: A young mother from Bengaluru finally got the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the rain with her five-year-old son on Friday morning when the sky opened up and a thunderstorm lashed the city.
Perhaps it was for the first time that Bengaluru’s early birds could rejoice in the rain instead of rushing through waterlogged roads and marathon traffic snarls to reach their workplaces.
Ruchira Shah, an IT professional and Whitefield resident, said, “Since I ride to work, I dread rain as it only causes traffic to slow down. For the first time in many years, I stood in my balcony and loved every bit of it.”
“My son is five years old and I have never enjoyed the rain with him before this. We both got drenched,” she added.
Most Bengalureans are used to evening showers or are too busy to enjoy morning rain given their hectic schedules. Srimoyee Geetanand, a resident of Koramangala, wrote to social media: “6:30 am, Koramangala, chai and pakoda.” She said, “I’m usually up early because I walk my dogs. We were about 100 meters from the house when it started pouring. Although my dogs and I were completely drenched, it was a really pleasant start to the day. I also think Koramangala has a lot of greenery, which adds to the scenic beauty when it rains.”
The city received 23.2mm of rainfall in the wee hours of Friday. The weatherman said the wind speed was just about normal and that the city is likely to receive scattered showers in the next five days. Considering it had been very hot, the rain brought much-needed relief. The temperature had been hovering around 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday and dropped to 29-30 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Priya Jain, a resident of Jayanagar, said, “I leave my windows open while sleeping since it’s hot and one needs fresh air. On Friday, I actually woke up to raindrops falling on my face, which I believe is the most beautiful way to get up. In fact, if the weather continues to be like this, I do not mind being quarantined forever.”
Working professionals were thrilled to be able to experience the rain without having to plan which route will have the least traffic. Sahana R, an IT professional who lives in Whitefield, said, “I’m usually not an early riser, but on Friday morning, the thunder acted like a natural alarm. I have a passion for singing so I just sat in the balcony, watching the rain and crooned at 6.30am.” She added, “I have not had the time to sit out like this since I started working.”