Veranda Tales-What happens during a sunshower?

Storytelling has been an integral part of my life since childhood. I grew up listening to stories during the hot summer evenings and nights with my cousins. Mothers and grandmothers would gather all of us children for story time. It was usually pitch dark except for a very faint light coming from the flickering candle. Power cuts were as frequent as the hot and humid summer days. We all spread out on a cool concrete floor or on bamboo mats on the veranda intently listening to fascinating stories about kings, queens, princes, princesses, and peasants alike. Stories about love, life, families, and people entertained and taught us life skills. These stories transported us to distant worlds which were strange yet familiar. Often the same story told by two people sounded different as storytellers added new twists and turns adding their personal style and flair to the stories.

Storytelling wasn’t limited to summer evenings and bedtime. I was surrounded by adults that didn’t pass up an opportunity to share their wisdom using the art of storytelling. The rich and vibrant oral traditions include songs, poems, stories, and సామెతలు (Sametalu are proverbs in Telugu). Men and women sing songs as they work in the fields, grind grains and spices and other daily chores at their homes. Stories are often used to teach important life lessons, interpersonal skills, and survival skills. These stories and the time spent listening to them made our lives richer leaving an impression on me. This series is all about reliving those memories as I share these stories.

ఎండ వాన, కుక్కల నక్కల పెళ్లి (Dogs and Foxes marry during a sunshower)

I stepped out to run an errand into a sunshower. It was hot and sunny just a few minutes ago and now wind was blowing hard and raindrops were glowing brilliantly as they fell failing miserably in their attempt to wet the ground. The sunshower is a contradiction of sorts as this meteorological phenomenon leads to a rainfall while the sun is shining without a cloud in the sky when a distant rain storm blows the airborne raindrops into an area. At times a single rain shower cloud is the culprit, passing overhead, and the Sun's angle keeps the sunlight from being obstructed by the clouds overhead. There is a higher possibility to see a beautiful rainbow after a sunshower.

I love the sunshower for a multitude of reasons besides my appreciation for its beauty. I get excited in anticipation of being able to see at least a half a rainbow or better yet a double rainbow. Rainbow is called ఇంద్రధనుసు (Indradhanusu or Indra’s bow is rainbow in Sanskrit, Telugu, and several other Indian languages. Indra is the God of rain who brings rain and sunshine to the earth defeating Vrita and his forces. Vrita is the personification of కరువు (drought in Telugu). Vrita and his forces keep bringing droughts to the earth and Indra keeps defeating them till the end of time. Indra brings rain showers to the earth and hangs his ధనుసు (Dhanusu  or bow) in the sky until it is needed again for the next time. This is when we see the glorious ఇంద్రధనుసు (rainbow) in the sky.

Coming back to the topic at hand, whenever I see ఇంద్రధనుసు (rainbow) in the sky, Judy Garland starts singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in my head. Even though the song has seen 20+ renditions by others over the years, it is Judy Garland whose voice reverberates in my head. If I am really lucky, I hope to get a glimpse of a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. In addition, my thoughts go to ఇంద్రసభ (Indra Sabha) which is where Indra holds court. Ananda Sankar’s musical composition Indrasabha puts me in Indra’s court where అప్సరలు (Apsaras) are lining up for a spectacular dance performance. Apsaras are celestial dancers in Indra’s court personifying clouds and water. Thunder, lightning, and rain in sunshine is in itself a spectacular celestial dance to behold. Someday, I want to go visit the Indra Sabha Cave Temple in Ellora while listening to Indrasabha playing in my ears. If you haven’t listened to Indrasabha, check it out.

Whenever I see a sunshower I remember Nanamma (paternal grandmother in Telugu) She would say “ఎండ వాన, కుక్కల నక్కల పెళ్లి (Enda vana kukkala nakkala pelli - Dogs and Foxes marry during Sunshower)” as she sought help to get her నులక మంచం (Nulaka Mancham is a 4 post wooden bed with jute weave in Telugu) moved so she wouldn't get caught in the sunshower. She then settled down and enjoyed watching the beauty of a sunshower. With the “Kukkala and Nakkala” rhyming words, this sameta rolls off Telugu speakers' tongues very easily. It has a giggle factor for kids of all ages when you imagine dogs and foxes getting married and more importantly what dogs and foxes getting married could really mean.

I never asked Nanamma (paternal grandmother in Telugu) what dogs and foxes getting married means. The sunshower phenomenon has remarkably similar folkloric names worldwide. A majority of them are about animals marrying during sunshower in several languages and cultures across the globe. In the Americas, there are several sayings about the devil beating his wife during a sunshower. In Hawaii, a sunshower is known as ghost rain or liquid sunshine. In addition to Nanamma’s wisdom about sunshower, the liquid sunshine resonates with me as it aptly describes the beauty of brilliantly backlit raindrops falling to the ground during a sunshower.