Walks in the rain, hot jalebis, savoury snacks and spiced tea from the local vendor in the bazaar, a song on the lips and a new charge in your step as you run out of the comfort zone of your home and embrace the life-giving showers of a Indian monsoon as it mingles with the summer dust. The legends of sawan the monsoon or the rainy season are embedded deep in the psyche of India's cultural offerings. From paintings to music from architecture to textile traditions the romantic nuances and the life-giving aspects of the Indian monsoon are celebrated in myriad forms. If rain-starved Rajasthan illustrates its elegant architecture with a scattering of badal mahals or the palace of clouds then Raag Megh Malhar the old Indian classical raag evokes its own deliciously poignant restlessness in the hearts of lovers. The monsoons in India herald a time of abandoned merriment and spiritual outpourings beautifully reflected in the festival of Teej along with Janamashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi which celebrate Lord Krishna that legendary lover, and Lord Ganesha the lovable elephant god two of the most important deities of the Hindu pantheon.
