Rains in Doon:

My remembrances of the rains in Doon dates back to the year 1989 when we relocated to Dehradun from Mysore. As I remember there were local rains, the monsoons and the rains in the winter.

I have heard people say that in the good old day's houses in Doon did not have hooks for fans as it never used to be so hot that one would need a fan. If at all the temperature would rise there would be locals rains that would bring the temperature down. Even in 1989 as soon as the temperature rose for few days' people would start expecting a shower and the weather at Dehradun never disappointed its residents.

As kids we used to love the rains in the summers as it brought the temperature down thus making the weather pleasant and thereby facilitating long hours of play which probably might not have been possible in scorching heat. I remember until Holi (March) the weather would be bit chilly which would mellow down towards late March, followed by summers in the Months of April, May and June. April, May June were the months that witnessed the local rains.

Another funny part that was quite frequent in Dehradun was rain pouring down in patches say one would travel all drenched from Clock Tower just to find a sunny weather (without any rain) in Indra Nagar. I have even seen this phenomenon in localities that were separated by say a few hundred meters.

After the local rains the rivers around Dehradun would be filled with water, which brought in ideal opportunities for picnics during summer vacations. We would visit places like Sahastradhara, Lacchiwala and enjoy the whole day swimming and playing water games in the rivers.

Late June, Early July brought in the Monsoons. It would rain cats and dogs during the monsoons. All the rivers and canals in and around Dehradun used to be flooded with water in monsoons. Sometimes it used to rain continuously for days. Unlike these days when only few hours of rain bring metros to standstill due to water logging, thankfully the rain water management was good in those days as even with so much of rain one would rarely see water logging in many places. 

All of Dehradun used to be covered with lush green foliage and vivid & vibrantly colored flowers of so many varieties. The varieties of flowers that I saw in Dehradun as a kid still remains unparalleled. I have travelled to a lot of places, India and Abroad, but very few places are blessed with so many varieties of flowers during monsoon.

During Monsoon as kids we would drape ourselves in raincoats to go to and come back from school. It was so much fun enjoying the rains and all those muddy puddles. If there was an opportunity, we as kids would run out of our homes and schools to play football in water soaked playgrounds.
Playing football in the rains was so much fun. I still remember that playing in rains was literally a "different ball game". One may kick the ball with all his might but the ball would just travel a few meters as the ground would be filled with ankle deep water.
During Monsoons, on the grounds there would be a variety of weeds as well which would stick to our socks and clothes. It was a task to get rid of these weeds from our socks and clothes.

At night the trees would be all lighted up by fireflies. We would just see and appreciate nature's splendor. Sometimes as kids we would also look at the ponds all filled up with tadpoles, frogs, toads etc.

During winters as well Dehradun used to witness rains. When it rained in the winters, sometimess as hailstorms, we would be sure that it is snowing in the mountains including regions of Mussoorie and other regions near to Dehradun. After the rains the weather would become chilly.
People used to tell us that Geeli Thand i.e. the winters after the rains was better than Sookhi Thand i.e. winters without rains as it was believed that people fell ill less in Geeli Thand than in Sookhi Thand.

Rains in winter would bring in clouds in the sky and cover the sunlight to an extent that sometimes it used to become dark in day time itself. The rains brought the temperatures down and I remember as kids we used to wrap ourselves by quilts and blankets to keep ourselves warm.

People tell me, these days the weather in Dehradun has deteriorated as lot now. I have heard that these days Dehradun also witnesses hot summers. The local rains are sporadic. Monsoons are less furious and the winter rains are less in number. 

I only wish that we get back the same Dehradun Weather when people used to enjoy the rains feasting on various delicacies and eatables eaten and enjoyed in the rains, like the chai-pakoras, chow means, Momos, Aloo parathas, various soups and what not. Those were really fun days. I still miss those "Rains in Doon"...

Enjoy More Memoirs of Doon on the Links shared as under:

1) Memoirs of Dehra
2) The Canal on General Mahadev Singh Road
3) Festivities of my Childhood
4) Dehra as I Knew
5) Love For Football
6) The Samosa Bet
7) The Wrestling Match