6 best rain-themed books to read this monsoon

Jara Brishti Te Bhijechilo, Joy Goswami His poetry is a happy marriage of fantasy and reality. Those who have read Meghbalikar Janyo Roopkatha know that Joy Goswami shares a long and intense relationship with rain.
In his partly-autobiographical novel, Jara Brishtite Bhijechilo, the rain is not a backdrop, but a character. It doesn’t matter if you have seen the celluloid adaptation by Anjan Das; the book gets you closer to the latent poetry in the prose, typical of Joy.It sure makes for a melancholy reading, but then rain is as much about pain as it is about Joy.
Borshamongol, Srijato When a book is dedicated to ‘hariye jawa chhatader’ (to all the lost umbrellas), you can well be sure that it’s the collection of poems you want to lay your hands on when rain pitter-patters on your window pane. The young poet with an incredibly romantic heart has portrayed monsoon in Kolkata in a way few can. The best thing about the book is that it’s also a celebration of love and comes in an envelope with poems written on cards. One of the poems reads, ‘Aye flyovere-footpathey aar bhejash joto paris/Chhilo Kolkata tor bondhu, takey premik bana, barish!’ The power of the collection? Even the waterlogged streets make you fall in love with Kolkata.
The Blue Umbrella, Ruskin Bond Curl up in an easy chair with this Ruskin Bond masterpiece on a rain-drenched afternoon and get a small piece of your childhood back, just like that! Vishal Bhardwaj’s cinematic version will surely cross your mind when you read this poignant story, but that only adds to the experience. Seeing Shreya Sharma as the sweet Biniya and Pankaj Kapoor as Nandu Khatri (Ram Bharosa in the book) in your mind’s eye and reliving their tussle for acquiring the precious blue umbrella will transport you to the rolling hills of Himachal Pradesh, where rain paints a picture pretty enough to make you forget the daily drudgery of this concrete and steel jungle.
Golpoguccho, Rabindranath Tagore It’s impossible to talk about books, rains and not mention the Bard — Rabindranath Tagore. His Golpoguccho defines what short stories should be like. And rain, with its ominous presence, surfaces in many of the stories. Remember the tragic rainy night when Kadambari had to prove she hadn’t died by dying in Jibito o Mrito or rain playing Cupid in Apurba-Mrinalini’s life in Samapti? There are numerous such instances when rains cast a spell with Tagore’s magical touch.
Chasing the Monsoon, Alexander Frater It rains through the whole book! That’s what you’ll feel when you read Alexander Frater’s Chasing the Monsoon. Some years ago, the author decided to follow the trail of Indian monsoon and on reading this book, will make you realize that how a non-fiction can still read like a beautiful story, how unique each corner of our country is and last but not the least, how rain can have myriad hues depending on the locale and people. Frater’s bizarre experiences mixed with touches of Indian history and anthropology makes this book an interesting read and also a perfect companion of cha and telebhaja.
Raat Bhorey Brishti, Buddhadeb Basu This book made headlines at the time it was published and was banned by the then government in Bengal on charges of obscenity. Rain plays an aphrodisiac and a catalyst in this triangular love story. The sexual intonations are bold and unapologetic and perhaps that’s what makes this book a unique read. For bookworms, who are not familiar with Buddhadeb Basu’s style of writing, Raat Bhorey Brishti is a good piece to start with. His words are unadorned, realistic and often brutal, but he romanticizes rain like no other.