sometimes

He, grew up in a cattle station in the Australian outback, was home schooled all his life, the nearest supermarket is 1500km away from his home, his idea of a meal is steak, steak and steak or if he has time he will fish for Barra or hunt for ducks. If there is one word I could describe his life would be “isolated”

When I was little, my grandmother too led a pretty isolated life. She couldn’t even afford newspaper subscription and if my father has forgotten to get her a calendar, then she wouldn’t even know the date. But her life in the farm continued without any interruptions. She followed the weather by looking at the sky and one evening she taught me

padinjarey manathu chemmanam kandal, annu mazha illenkil aa masathil mazha illa”

If you see a red sky in the west at sunset, then if it didn’t rain that day, then there won’t be any rain for the month.

I was 5 when she taught me this, but as I grew up, I learned more science and knew there was no way you could see anything but a red sky at sunset.

Clearly my grandmother was wrong, yet a part of me always wondered how could she be wrong?

I did ask all those learned ones whom I met over the years if they knew any reason why my grandmother thought that way?

It took an Australian, who has never been to India to unravel the puzzle.

“Which direction is the monsoon wind ?” He asked

“South west” I replied

“So obviously, if you have clear red sky at sunset, that means there is no storm lurking in the ocean on western side and there won’t be any rain”

I studied so much, yet I am so stupid..even my grandmother who didn’t even go to a high school knew much more than me.

 

 

2 thoughts on “sometimes

  1. he..he..he….liked the way how u admitted stupidity in this case….indeed our grandparents were smarter than us..they knew many facts about nature which we inspite of having education dont understand..

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