These are a few of my favorite things

There are very few things in life that can beat the joy of an unexpected day off work (or school when we were younger). Imagine waking up on a weekday morning, knowing that you don’t have to go to work. Even the thought makes one happy!

The past two days have been bandhs in Kolkata. There’s a complete shut down in the city. All commercial establishments are closed. There are no cabs, or any other form of public transport, on the streets. All one can do is sleep, watch movies, read, watch it rain with a cup of steaming ginger tea & pakoras in hand. Such breaks are always welcome.

I remember when we were in school we used to pray for “rainy days”. Days when it would pour in the mornings. One couldn’t get out on the streets without getting drenched. Umbrellas would be of no use. Mom or dad would call the school every half an hour to check if they’d declared it a “rainy day” yet, so we could stay home, go out & play in the rain, play Scrabble, Monopoly, Life Game, Scotland Yard, Battleship, Pictionary etc. Who cared whether the syllabus would get completed on time or not. That was the teachers’ problem, not ours!

I’ve been at home the past two days enjoying my days off & the rain. Hoping for a couple of “rainy days” this monsoon! Amen.