How These 5 Woes Ruin the Romance of the Rains

Yes, the rains are romantic and dreamy — but the woes of puddles, damp clothes and wet galoshes can ruin it for you.

Rains bring with them so much happiness. And not just for umbrella sellers.

They bring unabashed joy to rickshaw-wallahs who ask for your first-born when you ask for a ride. They bring huge smiles on the faces of house helps who now have an easy excuse to bunk work. And lest we forget, they bring much joy to the municipality people who sit back and laugh at us for being so gullible as to believe that they have fixed all the potholes.

But besides the many fun things that happen, there are a couple of downers that the monsoon brings along. We list five problems that this rainy season brings.

1. Smelly Coat

There are few things in life more beautiful than petrichor. There are fewer things more inviting than the aroma of fresh tea wafting through the house. What’s not great is the damp smell that pervades all our clothing in the monsoon season. Every article of just washed clothing smells like it could use another wash.  And no amount of detergent can undo this smell! Of course, this — coupled with the difficulty of drying — leads to mums everywhere issuing a blanket ban on the wearing of jeans. Or ANYTHING made of thick material, for that matter.

2. Footwear Faux Pas

While every Bollywood movie will have you believe that you have to be jumping in puddles to look cute, no one tells you about the footwear. The monsoon season has everyone packing away their Jimmy Choos and Blahniks and bringing out rain-friendly footwear. Problem is, what inexperienced shoppers usually go for – giving in to the lure of bright, pop colours – are gaudy plastic shoes that squelch every time you take a step. Fashion clearly takes a real pounding in the wet weather.

3. Tarpaulin Terror

Architectural grandeur be damned! Saving your home from torrential rains is paramount. And it doesn’t matter if you have an address that screams blue-blooded ‘billionaire’ – everyone turns to blue tarpaulins to keep the water away. Tarpaulins have saved many a head from getting wet as people rush to stand under these in a sudden downpour. These water-fighting sheets look awkward, of course, with the very Parisian vintage theme you were going for – nor do they blend in with anything pretty – but that’s another story.

4. Multi-tasking Material

Nothing is safe from the rains. Which is why anything you carry has to serve a dual purpose. Carrying a plastic bag? Super – it comes in handy when you want to run for cover in the event of a downpour. Reading a newspaper? That’s perfect! Just hold it above your head when it starts raining.

And need we ask if you’ve invested in zip lock bags for your phones – or waterproof backpacks for your laptops and tablets? Because, of course you have. You might want to consider the possibility that you spend more on protecting your stuff than on the actual stuff itself.

5. Extra Baggage

Travelling light isn’t an option during the monsoons. And then, you just want to go the mall. Any trip outside the house requires stocking up on an umbrella, a case for the umbrella, a raincoat, a bag to carry the raincoat if it gets wet, plastic sheets for the car, waterproof makeup – and a marker for your umbrella so no one walks away with it. Phew!

And these are just the basics. For adults. Add children to the mix and there’s no way you’re leaving the house without needing to toe the line of your baggage allowance.

(Mansi Shah is founder of the blog Damsel in Destress which reviews experiences as varied as spas, books and plays. Mansi is, by her own admission, “clueless” at 30 with an easy penchant for humour.)