Monsoon in Auroville
The Auroville community is a bit divided by their attitude towards the monsoon.
Let’s start with a short explanation: it is mostly about the humidity the monsoon brings. Many houses in Auroville do not have glass window panes. The humidity enters the houses unhindered and soaks everything and everyone. Anything that absorbs moisture like clothes, cushions, towels and carpets is damp or wet for weeks on end. Stainless steel rusts. Fungus follows within days as the temperature hovers around 25°C.
On the other hand a temperature of about 25°C is rather cool for our subtropical climate. The sound of falling rain sings you to sleep at night. Staring out the window, in particular without glass, affords you a wonderful view, and feel, of the torrent downpour and as long as you do not have to leave the house, rest at home snuggled up in a blanket with a hot chocolate in hand, the monsoon can have an agreeable side and soothing effect.
Nobody disputes how important the rains are for nature. The brown remains of almost unrecognizable grass turn green within 24 hours of the onset of monsoon and start growing rapidly. Overall it seems that nature was just waiting for the first drops of rain to start a race of growth. Time to grow is precious. Water will be scarce again soon enough. About 6 weeks lasts the wet spectacle and then the uncertainty about the next nourishing drops of water has returned.
On the other hand the monsoon asks for careful planning by the humans. Venturing out even briefly results in getting soaked to the bone. The raincoat to withstand our monsoon has still to be invented. Most Aurovilians therefore make careful decisions on how often they leave their house or place of work. And shopping and visiting friends is likely to be combined in one round because once back at home the thought of getting wet again is not a favorite.
An additional hazard are the roads in Auroville. Or what loosely could be described as a road during the dry months. Cleared paths of compacted, sundried mud, conveniently cleared of underbrush and trees. After a few days of monsoon the roads have morphed into series of puddles, potholes, mud holes and smaller lakes with slippery shores. A year ago during a rather fierce monsoon the airport in Chennai had to be closed for days because the runway was under water.
So we are looking forward to the monsoon with joy and dread and often a mixture of both. Depending on our personal preferences one or the other dominates. But however we feel about it one thing is certain – it won’t change the weather so let us make the best of it and bring the hot chocolate out! And here is a list of other goodies which let you enjoy the monsoon or autumn and winter or any cold spell:
Snuggle up with hot organic chocolate from Mason & Co. and hot Lemon Ginger Drink from Naturellement
Wellness at home with the Maroma Face Mask
Get rid of the moldy smell with Kalki Incense sticks (our favorite evening offering)
Scare away the mosquitoes with Colibri Spiral Incense
For power cuts and good smell handmade perfumed candles from Maroma
To breathe deeply with Sanskrit Invocations after a cold wet day outside with many muddy puddles, which ruined your favorite clothes.
