What’s Life Like When Monsoon hits Mumbai?

The months of monsoon bring joy to millions of people not only in Mumbai but all over India. The torrential rains arrive after a torrid, long and tiring summer. The monsoon begins during the first week of June in the southwest coast. It then travels up through the Indian state of Kerala, up towards the North and usually reaches the city of Mumbai around the second week of June.

The rains usually last until September and during this period the humidity increases, it gets very windy and the raindrops can pour down at any time of the day and for many hours, sometimes for entire days. It is a custom in India for people to predict the monsoon’s arrival. This often becomes a national headline in the papers and on the news channels as the whole country keeps checking weather updates with people getting increasingly curious to know the details as they long for it to begin after the exhausting summer.

But all the curiosity and need to know about when the monsoon will come is not just for entertainment or relief from the heat. Monsoon is the hope for millions of farmers to recover their prosperity and to wish for another year of new crops as the rain brings the means to make farming possible.

Monsoon is also a romantic season for young couples, in fact it is impossible to miss those young couples trying to find shelter from the rain hiding under an umbrella and embarking in long peaceful walks. There is a sense of freshness all around with plants, flowers and trees in full bloom. This is especially true in the outskirts of Mumbai where new colours appear in front of the eyes of the people who enjoy being outdoors. It truly is heaven for nature lovers.

But as the rain continues to fall relentlessly, there are also other less enjoyable things to take into consideration in a big city like Mumbai. The metropolis is a busy and crowded space and the torrential rains bring challenges to its inhabitants’ day to day life. Already stretched infrastructure comes under additional stress with roads continually flooding and trains delayed or even cancelled making life quite frustrating for commuters.

Monsoon in Mumbai can be hectic but at the same time it can be quite fun. The rains bring happiness to all, children and adults, and they also bring people together as there are so many different festive occasions where families get together and celebrate.

I really love the monsoon…when the rains come it is kind of magical. The monsoon not only brings hope and happiness on the face of the farmers but also on the face of each Mumbaikar as finally it is time to enjoy the lower temperature and the cool breeze.