Dear Readers,

Here’s the thing about monsoons – they are unreliable and completely untrustworthy. Every weather station in India predicted that monsoons would hit Delhi on the 15th of June. My next-door neighbor confirmed it too, she usually feels it in her bones before the arrival of monsoons. And her bones seldom failed her! She asked me to buy all the necessary ingredients required to make perfect pakoras as it would definitely rain in a few days.

So, I eagerly waited for the rain and then on 15th we all woke up to a beautiful dark sky and it felt like it would rain. The cool breeze, dark clouds, occasional lightning, all the makings of a perfect rainy day were greeting us with aplomb. I put oil on the stove, my heart was singing as I made the first batch of pakoras and a heavenly hot cup of tea. I floated to the terrace with my little plate of heaven. But just as I opened the terrace door, bright light blinded me. I was left with absolute dismay. My next-door aunty stood on her terrace, looking quite guilty. It seemed like her bones had failed her. And then I thought, ‘I have waited enough’! I walked towards aunty and comforted her that the fault did not lie with her but with the traitorous monsoons. And then we started to gorge on those pakoras and tea.