The other day I saw a patch of black on my bathroom wall, with specks of white in it. The sight transported me back into time...
A little girl crouched on the ground, next to a black patch on it, watching it closely--perplexed, amused, intrigued...Her mom, seeing her glued to the spot came over, to see what was going on with her daughter. The girl couldn't hold back further, and soon her mother was showered with a volley of questions! "What's wrong with these ants?" "Where are they all going?" How did sooo many ants get together?" "Are the little white things they are carrying, their luggage?"
Mom, her smile wider now, said "The ants have their own mechanism to know that the monsoons are round the corner, and it'll start raining after some time. So, they move from their current colony to a safer place. This is what these ants are doing right now. And, the little white things they are carrying are their grub which will hatch one day, and become ants like these ones."
The girl had sheer awe writ large on her face...her mom must have been thrilled at that priceless sight! (I'd have said here "wish I had a way to find out for sure" but I won't...any mom would have felt this way!)
The girl didn't forget what her mom told her, and not many days after the 'ant' episode, she came dashing to her mom, straight into her arms and said "can i go to the terrace and bathe in the rain?" Of course her mom couldn't say "no"! She never could, when her daughter asked to go get drenched in the rain...she even joined her if she could, at times!
I woke up to the sounds of pouring rain this afternoon...and that little girl from the past came bounding out! "Wow!! the ant thing worked this time too!! I knew it would!" She smiled...thrilled beyond measure!
"Wow! Am so happy! Am thrilled! :)" I texted my
friend (my rain and clouds advisor :P) "It's been raining for almost an hour :) n its so cool! :) Is this monsoon?"
"Wow! I think so." He replied. "Visit
www.imd.gov.in to see the satellite picture."
I did...checked the '
infrared' images per his instructions, and thought..."it must be monsoon!"
Out peeked the little girl then..."didn't you see all those ants with their grubs? This 'is' monsoon!"
They're so close to the nature, they don't need satellite images and sophesticated instruments and gadgets to figure this out--the ants! We do! We've come such a long way...so far away from nature, we can't hear her anymore!
