The Mumbai monsoon is a force of nature – quite literally. It causes considerable inconvenience and chaos each year. One doesn’t really expect rain in December in Mumbai. So when we had unseasonal rain in Mumbai recently, Twitter swiftly got into action. Soon it was raining memes on Twitter:
The sound of rain was unexpected at this time of the year.
A Guest that arrived without an invitation
... In December.
The sound and smell of rain.
Stop, said the tweeple.
It never rains, it always pours in Mumbai.
Rains bring along great hardships each year to Mumbaikars.
Rain in December was not expected.
Is it winter or is it the monsoon?
…Out of syllabus.
This year we've seen a wedding backlog. Events postponed during the lockdown are happening now, so this winter wedding season is even busier than usual.
Mumbai takes all this in its stride.
We've established that 2020 has been a bad year for most of us. December rain in Mumbai is in the same vein.
What else did we expect?
The inconvenience and hardship notwithstanding, there is a peculiar beauty about the rains in Mumbai.
The smell of water falling on dry earth – petrichor – can be heavenly.
The slightest hint of winter in the air and the sweaters and money-caps come tumbling out of Mumbai closets.
Mumbai doesn’t have anything that most would call ‘winter’, but for a few days each year, it gives people an excuse to wear something warm for a change.
In parts of Mumbai, this happened.
Or are these #MumbaiRains evidence of climate change?
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