Nav Aakash | Page 24

s Folk songs accompanied by the first shower of the season are sung even today in many parts of rural India. With the first strike of thunder, the diverse dialects of our villages are filled with joy and happiness. We also associate the dancing of peacocks and singing of cuckoo with this beautiful season. Even films pay ode to the monsoon season. The monsoons in India have another wonderful effect. Working class people return home from their workplaces and ultimately become united with their loved ones. The joyful yearning of romance after long separations, the meeting of lovers under umbrellas on dark, rainy nights and their clandestine tryst in thunderlit forests – all these were themes of songs in classical as well as folk literature and were sung to specific melodies or Ragas, woven with specific notes. Monsoon is also the time to set out on a trail and soak into the glories of nature. 23 The lush green meadows, dew drops on the leaves, the patter of rains, rivers and streams almost overflowing with water and cascading waterfalls, all symbolizes the inception of monsoon in India. The term monsoon is derived from the Arabic word “Mausim” which means time or season. According to the dictionary, monsoon is described as “a periodical wind ????????%??????=??????M????]?????????????=?????????9??????????????????????????????????????????t?Q?????????????%????????????????????????)?????=??????%??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????5???????????????????????????????????((