A Short Monsoon Diary
This chapter consists of extracts from Ruskin Bond’s diary, detailing his observations during the monsoon season in the hills. He describes the changes in nature, the behavior of birds and animals, and the general atmosphere.
June 24: The first day of monsoon mist brings silence, making the mist feel melancholy. Birds stop singing, and the forest becomes still. Bijju is heard but not seen.
Word Meaning:
Monsoon (मानसून): The rainy season.
Mist (धुंध): A cloud of tiny water droplets in the air, making it hard to see.
Melancholy (उदासी): A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.
Blankets (ढक देता है): Covers.
June 25: Genuine early-monsoon rain brings humidity. Cobra lilies emerge from ferns. The mist provides privacy. The author describes the hill station as “A paradise that might have been.”
Word Meaning:
Humid (नम): Having a high level of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Cobra lily (कोबरा लिली): A type of plant with a flower resembling a cobra’s hood.
Fern (फर्न): A flowerless plant with feathery green leaves.
Privacy (एकांत): A state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people.
Paradise (स्वर्ग): An ideal or idyllic place.
June 27: The rains herald seasonal visitors like a leopard and leeches. A leopard attacks a dog and a cow, but flees. Scarlet minivets (yellow females) and aggressive drongos are also seen.
Word Meaning:
Heralded (घोषणा की): Announced or brought the news of.
Leeches (जोंक): A type of worm that sucks blood.
Imprecations (शाप): Curses.
Bloodletting (खून बहना): Losing blood.
Scarlet minivet (लाल मिनिवेट): A bright red bird (females are yellow).
Drongo (ड्रोंगो): A song-bird with a stout bill.
August 2: All night, rain drums on the tin roof. No storm, just a steady tropical downpour. The author finds it a good sound for reading, feeling untouched yet in touch with the rain despite leaks.
Word Meaning:
Drumming (बजना): Falling noisily, repeatedly hitting a surface.
Corrugated (नालीदार): Shaped into alternate ridges and grooves.
Downpour (मूसलाधार बारिश): A heavy fall of rain.
August 3: The rain stops, the sun appears. A woman chops sticks, cowbells tinkle. A crow shakes raindrops. A whistling thrush’s song emerges from the ravine.
Word Meaning:
Disconsolately (निराशा से): Unhappily.
Ravine (खाई): A deep, narrow gorge with steep sides.
August 12: Endless rain and permanent mist. Everything is damp and soggy. The author watches umbrellas from the window.
Word Meaning:
Soggy (गीला): Very wet and soft.
August 31: The last day of August, with monsoon growth at its peak. Cobra lily seeds turn red, signaling the end of rains. Ferns will turn yellow soon. Ground orchids, wild dahlias, and lady’s slippers are in bloom. Snakes and rodents seek shelter in houses, and a shrew is seen, which brings good luck. The author receives a cheque.
Word Meaning:
Lush (घना): Growing luxuriantly.
Crevices (दरारें): Narrow openings or cracks in rock or wall.
Shrew (छछूंदर): A small mouse-like mammal with a long snout.
Admonishes (चेतावनी देता है): Warns or reprimands someone firmly.
Chuchundars (छछूंदर): (Hindi equivalent for shrew).
October 3: Straight from monsoon into winter rain. Snow at higher altitudes. An evening hailstorm is followed by a beautiful golden light.
January 26 (Winter Rains in the Hills): The author feels lonely in the quiet house, surrounded by the rhythm of rain drumming on surfaces. The mist holds the house in a “dark caress.” The trees are no longer green and menace with their loneliness.
Word Meaning:
Caress (सहलाना): Touching or holding lovingly.
Menace (धमकाना): Threaten.
Extracted Questions with Easy Answers:
From “A Short Monsoon Diary”:
Question: What makes the mist feel melancholy to the author?
Answer: The mist makes the author feel melancholy because it not only conceals the hills but also blankets them in silence, making the forest deathly still.Question: Which two animals are mentioned as seasonal visitors during the June 27 entry?
Answer: A leopard and several thousand leeches.Question: What does the turning red of cobra lily seeds signify?
Answer: It signifies that the monsoon rains are coming to an end.Question: Why do snakes and rodents take shelter in houses during the monsoon?
Answer: They take shelter in roofs, attics, and godowns because their holes and burrows are flooded out.Question: What does the author see in the sky after the hailstorm on October 3?
Answer: He sees a beautiful golden light suffused over the sky and hills.Question: What does the author see forming in the sky on March 23 after the hailstorm?
Answer: A rainbow.