There is a long way to go for the monsoon to appear with all its wonders and woes. But at last the city has had a semblance of the season that brings a mixed package of visual delights, wholesome food, soul-stirring music but also the agony of painful disruptions. An old colleague who had become a film critic in the late 1970s cannot forget the disappointment of having missed out on the first premiere he had a chance to attend. It was Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khilari which had a cast ranging from Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey and Shabana Azmi to Richard Attenborough. It was to be his first big night in the company of screen icons. But fate had something else in store. It was that evening in September 1978 when it began to pour Rs not to stop pouring for the next three days. The premiere was washed out without any hope of another star-studded night for the film. Missed opportunities such as these don’t really cause any harm in the long run. It is a different story for job-seekers with appointments that could determine their future. Surface transport has a mysterious way of thinning out every time there is a heavy shower while taxis are so much in demand even when it drizzles that finding an empty cab and a driver who will agree to go to a particular destination would be like running into a miracle. More intelligent people don’t even try. For them it is more worthwhile to spend the time in a nearby restaurant with a lip-smacking plate of aloo paratha and curd. Who knows, the appointments may have been cancelled when there were too many cars stalled on waterlogged roads?

None of these disasters may have occurred as yet in Kolkata. But fingers are always kept crossed. August has a host of events lined up – from celebrations revolving around Independence Day to lunch invitations where hilsa will be the main attraction. Who would want to miss a hilsa festival? Prices of the silvery attraction are quite prohibitive but local clubs with the support of generous donors make it a point to put together an annual treat. Much as one fears a fierce downpour that results in trains being stalled and hawkers desperately seeking to protect their goods, there is the prospect of the stimulating smell of khichuri emerging from the kitchen.

There are adequate stocks of vegetables to ensure that this irresistible delicacy is served with fried brinjals and onions with tomato chutney constituting the final ecstasy. All this may have been made possible because schools and colleges decide on an unscheduled closure or because parents stay away from work for the day – with no complaints from the boss. In these days of DVDs, there is no problem filling the idle hours at home with the exploits of Shahrukh Khan on exotic locations. Or, if there are old-timers around, it may be a good idea to recapture the romantic heights of the rain sequences that are no longer relevant in the digital era. There is something about the monsoon that brings relief to everyone and that is what finally matters.