The vagaries of India’s monsoon, are known to all its people, especially its children. For some, it is a signal that summer holidays are coming to an end, and the new year at school is round the corner. For others, it means playgrounds turned into puddles, time for paper boats, colourful umbrellas, raincoats, gumboots, and cricket in the rain. And for many others it means the washing away of their homes, taking shelter at a railway station, on a skywalk or a bus shelter, braving the rain under leaky thatched roofs, and chasing the clouds elsewhere.
We bring to you images from different parts of India that capture the joy and jubilance of monsoon juxtaposed against the stark realities that exist for children during this time.
MONSOON IS A TIME FOR CHILDREN WHERE PLAYGROUNDS TURN INTO PUDDLES
Photo – Unknown
AND PUDDLES TURN INTO PLAYGROUNDS
Photo – Unknown
WHERE TARPAULIN SHEETS MAKE FOR RAIN COVER
Photo – PTI
AND DISCARDED AUTOS BECOME PLAYTHINGS
Photo – First Post
WHERE WATER-LOGGED STREETS MAKE FOR LARGE GATHERINGS
Photo – Deccan Herald
AND FLOODED STREETS ACT AS SWIMMING POOLS
Photo – North Coast Courier
WHERE THE ONLY COLOUR ON A DULL DAY IS OF AN UMBRELLA
Photo – Marina Shakleina
AND YOUR ONLY RESPITE IN ON THE BACK OF A SIBLING
Photo – Satyam Roy
WHEN THE FEELING OF RAIN DROPS OF YOUR FACE MEANS SHEER JOY
Photo – Arun Sharma (Getty Images)
BUT WALKING TO SCHOOL IS AN UNPREDICTABLE JOURNEY
Photo – Hindustan Times
WHEN AN UMBRELLA BECOMES A PERMANENT HAND FIXTURE
Photo – Rajagopalan Sarangapani
AND MAKING PAPER BOATS BECOMES THE GAME OF THE SEASON
Photo – Naveen Prasad
WHEN OVERFLOWING BACKYARDS MEANS SWIM TIME
Photo – Unknown
AND WORKING FOR A LIVING BECOMES OVERTIME
Photo – Unknown
WHEN WADING THROUGH THE WATER EACH DAY BECOMES TRECHEROUS
Photo – DNA
AND BOATS BECOME A COMMON MEANS OF TRANSPORT
Photo – Unknown
WHEN RAINS REACH CATASTROPHIC LEVELS AND HOME GET WASHED AWAY
Photo – Deccan Chronicle
AND ACCESS TO FOOD AND CLEAN WATER BECOMES DIFFICULT
Photo – Unknown
WHEN SCHOOL REMAINS SHUT DOWN
Photo – Unknown
YOU KNOW MONSOON DAYS ARE HERE TO STAY!
Photo – Unknown
