Rain brings smiles on hot faces

PATNA: It was to be seen to be believed. When rain comes, people on roads are seen running for shelter. It was not so when the first monsoon showers lashed the city on Saturday evening.
"It''s beautiful, isn''t it?" cooed Mrignayani, letting the rain soak her as she crossed Fraser Road while going towards her destination. That the long spell of scorching heat would now come to an end made the young woman feel relieved."Almost everyday we heard on the television that monsoon has struck the Kerala coast... it has reached eastern Bihar... but the rainfall kept eluding Patna," she said, adding "now that the monsoon has finally entered the city, I am not the only one who is enjoying it."
Indeed, many people were heard talking about the beauty and density of the clouds while enjoying tea. The "pakora" and "litti" stall owners also did a brisk business during the few minutes of rain.
After buying "sattu" from a makeshift counter on Fraser Road, Pankaj and Nishi, two friends, were so excited about their proposed "litti" party on Saturday night that Pankaj happened to step into a pool of rain water and had his footwear wet and dirty.
Post-monsoon, Sunita, a housewife, can thumb her nose at the Bihar State Electricity Board. "Frequent power cuts, a regular feature in this city, had made life hell in the summer," she said angrily and added, "ab kuchh araam milega line rahe ya na rahe (it will be some relief now, power or no power)". Meteorological department officials were also very happy, wearing an "I-had-told-you-so" look. "Our forecasts earlier this month said the monsoon would arrive in this part of the state during this time," recalled Met director R K Mukhopadhyay.
He however, admitted that the sudden change in the progress of monsoon wind on Friday caused concern in the department about its arrival in Patna. "But now that the monsoon has arrived, it is safe to say it will cover the whole state in the next few days if, of course, some abnormal development doesn''t take place," he said.