Monsoon magic

The rains are here and model, VJ, actor and now producer Sushma Reddy is all set to make a splash. She can't wait to take off on a hike and get her hands dirty in the monsoon muck that's a part of the season's magic. "I have no qualms being a pig in the monsoons," she beams. Sushma takes a walk down the slushy memory lane as she relives the magic of her favourite season with CS:



Pouring her heart out
I just love the rains, the season gives usu00a0 a much-needed respite from the summers. I have a very romanticised association of the monsoonsu00a0-- hikes, fried food, great weather, beautiful sun sets...u00a0 I could just go on and on. Even as a kid, I would look forward to the rains, because we would get holidays on days that were flooded!
And in Chimbai Village, Bandra, where I stayed as a kid, it didn't take much time for the water logging to start. We would use the pages of our notebooks to make paper boats and set them sailing. But as I grew older, I became a little serious about it. While earlier I would get all excited whenever there'd be a cyclone, now I know that every time a cyclone hits us, the chances of rain are very poor. So, now we're just preoccupied with flood and drought.



Water, water everywhere...
Sadly, we have had somewhat dry monsoons for past two years, but I can't forget the 26/7 deluge of 2005. Initially, I thought that it was just another downpour until the roof of the cars in my area got submerged under water. My friend and I set out rescuing the small kids who were stranded in our area. Even though we're both tall, we were neck-deep in water and were literally holding the kids with their bags to keep them afloat. When I got home, the seriousness of the problem made me very restless and I sent a message to all my friends in the industry, and outside asking them to join me in helping the victims of the flood in whatever way they could. Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani immediately joined forces and help started pouring in from every direction. It was a huge learning curve for me, because I realised how the system operated, and I sorry to say, I learnt that it was rotten.

Going green
For me, monsoons are undoubtedly the most beautiful time of the year. I just have to look out of my window and I can see a lush Bandra that is otherwise not so green. And since my house overlooks the sea, I can see divine sunsets that seem almost surreal. I just can't wait to get wet once again.