Rainbow After the Rain

It has rained for many days. Pitter-patter on the tin roofs. Drip-drop from the mango leaves. The lanes are wet. The sky is grey.

We are sitting by the window, warm and dry. Let us listen... pitter-patter... pitter-patter...

The children of the village are tired of staying in. They press their noses to the windows. "When will the sun come back?" they ask.

On the porch, old Dadaji smiles. He has seen many rains. He says softly, "Wait a little... the colours are on their way."

Slowly, the rain grows softer. Pitter... patter... drip... drop... And then, it stops.

The air is fresh and cool. A bird shakes the water from its wings. The wet earth smells sweet. A thin ray of sun peeps out from behind a cloud.

Then a little girl calls out, "Look! Look up!"

Across the sky, there is a rainbow. A big, soft bow of colours, from one end of the fields to the other.

Doors open, one by one. Children run out onto the wet grass. Mothers come out with babies on their hips. Grandmothers step out slowly, holding the door frame. Even the cows lift their heads.

Everyone looks up. Let us look up too... Let us name the colours, one by one.

Red... like a bride's bangles. Orange... like marigold flowers. Yellow... like warm sunshine.

Green... like the wet rice fields. Blue... like a calm, clear sky.

Deep blue... like the night, just before the stars. And purple... like a ripe jamun.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, deep blue, purple. Seven soft colours, side by side. Each one makes room for the next.

Dadaji leans on his stick. His eyes are shining. The children hold hands. The elders nod. For a while, nobody talks. The whole village just stands and looks, quiet and happy.

Little one, some days are grey, like these rainy days. Some days we wait and wait. But we can wait like Dadaji, with a calm heart.

So on grey days, I will whisper to you... wait a little... the colours are on their way.

Slowly, the rainbow melts into the evening sky. But the village keeps its smile. And so do we.

Let us breathe in the fresh, cool air... and breathe out... Wait a little... the colours are on their way.