As you likely know, Kerala, a state on India’s tropical Malabar Coast, has suffered unprecedented monsoon rains recently. Hundreds are dead, millions are displaced. The infrastructure is in shambles. But, there is no doubt that Kerala will rebuild – better than ever.
I am saddened by the devastation. We spent some time there a few years ago. A highlight of my three trips to India. The people, the cuisine, the scenery are beyond compare. Hugging the Arabian Sea, the area is a tropical paradise beyond compare. Colorful is an understatement. The palm trees, the water, everything shimmers under the equatorial sun.
Everyone waits in anticipation for the monsoon to arrive. The harsh, dry, unbearable hot season will finally be over. The monsoon will bring cooler weather and rain to bring the parched vegetation back to life. But sometimes, like this year the monsoon brings more that is wished for.
I am happy to share a few favorite pictures of one of India’s best-kept secrets.
What the four seasons of the year mean to the European, the one season of the monsoon means to the Indian. It is preceded by desolation; it brings with it hopes of spring; it has the fullness of summer and the fulfillment of autumn all in one.
― Khushwant Singh, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale
