The Little Rainmaker Read online

  At the mall, Mr Bhalla shouted at his workers, ‘Make it quick, I said!’

  The secretary whispered, ‘But, sir… we are unable to trace that girl… No one is picking up the phone at her end. How can we unveil the Grandfather Memorial without the grandfather?’

  Mr Bhalla looked outside. Crowds of people had gathered to see the unveiling, and they were getting restless. He had to take a decision now. ‘To hell with the girl and her grandfather. We will unveil the memorial now. Are you ready?’

  The secretary nodded and signalled to the workers standing by to start the rainmaking experiment in the jar. Mr Bhalla nodded to the security guards to let the crowds in. The gates were finally opened, and huge crowds of parents, children and the students of Sloping Valley High School marched in.

  For the first time in a decade, they walked inside a mall and ripped off their body protectors, because it was completely humidified. There was no need for Sun Saver either. For the parents, it was just like old times. As for the children, especially the ones from Sloping Valley High School, their attention was riveted to the huge jar right in the middle of the mall.

  Hafsah screamed, ‘It’s like T-Rex’s jar, only much bigger!’

  Ratul was full of pride as he said, ‘Just the jar cost a few lakh rupees, you know.’

  They all looked on as the experiment was put in motion. The jar was filled with huge blocks of ice, and the area around it was warmed up. It took a while for the hot air to rise up and reach the bowl of ice. And then, magic happened. Tiny droplets of water began to appear on the surface of the glass jar, and the crowd erupted in applause as an emcee announced, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, you might not see this phenomenon again. HD Mall has made the dream of a young girl come true. We are definitely making it rain!’

  Mr Bhalla smiled as he heard the announcement. ‘So what if she didn’t make it here? My job is done. The media will soon release this all over the country, and these protestors can then go to hell or wherever it is they live.’

  The children clapped as the water droplets formed in the jar and fell one by one, so fast that it almost seemed like real rain.

  Aadi whistled. ‘This is so much better than watching it in class,’ he said.

  Sam looked around. ‘I can’t see Anoushqa. Maybe she has gone to see the magician’s experiment,’ she thought.

  Meanwhile, right in the middle of City Square, the magician Mr Rainwalla had captured the attention of a small crowd—a few passers-by, who had nothing better to do, and some media people, who had been informed in advance about the experiment.

  Mr Rainwalla enjoyed the attention. He knew all eyes were on him. He looked up at the sky once and raised his arms as if to seek the blessings of his forefathers but, in reality, he was just spreading the tiny dust-like particles of the smoke creator for the smoke effect to be generated. And lo and behold, the moment he spread his arms wide, wisps of smoke emanated from his hands and scattered in the air.

  A TV anchor announced, ‘We are here to see if Magic Mistry Rainwalla lives up to his promise to make rain.’ The camera then panned to a wide shot of OWN handing her father the vial of the colour composite.

  Mr Rainwalla thought to himself, ‘It’s time to darken the sky… make it darker than the darkest rain cloud that has ever been seen.’ He opened the vial of the colour composite created by his father, Magic Mistry Colourwalla, and let the fumes of the vial diffuse in the air.

  In yet another part of the city, at the experiment centre, Gargi was on standby with her team of scientists. They were waiting for the UWF signal via live video streaming. A green flag was waved on the screen, and the countdown began. ‘10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1.’ Right to the second, the rain rocket was launched into the Indian skies.

  Back at City Square, Mr Rainwalla rubbed the coarse black rain-causing minerals in his hands and released them into the air. Then he waited for the magic to unfold.

  At the science centre, too, everyone waited with bated breath. And then it happened. Gargi looked up at the sky and exclaimed, ‘Oh my God!’ Anoushqa followed her gaze, as did Ma and Dad.

  A dark mass of clouds had gathered over the space where the rocket had been launched. Gargi moved ahead to check with her team, who seemed to be in serious discussion.

  Anoushqa asked Ma, ‘What’s the matter?’ Ma and Dad didn’t answer, as they could not believe what was happening right in front of their eyes.

  Anoushqa looked up at the sky confusedly. Suddenly, the winds gathered momentum and dark clouds seemed to be approaching them. She felt scared and intimidated. ‘Ma, is everything all right? I’m scared,’ she said, her voice trembling. Ma held out her hand reassuringly. Anoushqa looked up at Ma and saw that her eyes were full of tears and hope. Grampa still lay in his wheelchair, half-asleep, his head tilted slightly to one side, oblivious to the change in his surroundings.

  ‘It’s coming… it’s coming,’ Ma whispered as she held on to Dad’s arm tightly. Anoushqa could see the clouds moving towards them but didn’t know what this signified.

  Inside the HumiDome Mall, Mr Bhalla was just taking a sip of cool water against the backdrop of resounding applause, when suddenly, he heard a commotion. Someone shouted, ‘Come outside, guys! Look what’s happening! Come out quick!’

  A couple of people ran out in response. Soon more followed. Mr Bhalla shouted at his secretary, ‘WHAT’S GOING ON? GO FIND OUT!’

  At City Square, Mr Rainwalla was looking at the sky with his mouth agape as he saw a mass of dark clouds approaching them. At first, he was delighted that his magic was working. But the very next instant, his face fell. OWN looked at her father’s face and realized something was not right.

  She asked hesitantly, ‘What’s the matter, sir? Has something gone wrong?’ Mr Rainwalla pointed to something in the distance. He was puzzled. According to his calculations, the part of the sky to have changed colour should have been only ten–twelve feet away from the vial. However, the sky had changed colour even beyond it. ‘How is that possible? How is this…’ Mr Rainwalla could not finish articulating his thought, but OWN knew what he meant to say: that what they were witnessing was not all his doing.

  Just then, at the experiment centre, Gargi shouted, ‘Oh my God! It’s going to rain!’ That’s when Anoushqa finally realized what was happening.

  Chapter 17

  The rain fell… one, two, then a few more drops… but before she could touch them, they evaporated into thin air. The air was so dry that it dried up the drops even before they hit the ground.

  And then it happened. The droplets revolted.

  They came down in millions… bursting out of the cloud… all at once. Like they had been contained for far too long. Like they had been dying to break free for the last ten years. They came down like they were going to war. Like heavily bolted iron gates had been opened with a thunderous sound, and they were racing ahead to see which of them met the ground first.

  When the first drop fell on Anoushqa’s face, she shivered in excitement. It was a tingling sensation. She laughed. And when they poured down in a volley, she cried. She tried to catch her tears but she didn’t know which drops of water belonged to the clouds and which to her. She spread her arms wide and looked up as the rain washed her face. She took off her mask and then her body protector, and stood there just in her cotton frock, getting drenched to the bone.

  It looked like a haze had been lifted. Like someone had cleaned the dirty pair of glasses she had been wearing her entire life. Like someone had corrected her vision and, for the first time in ten years, she could see clearly. It was like meeting a long-lost friend. A reunion of sorts. And it was everything that Anoushqa had imagined and more.

  At the mall, Aadi shouted out, ‘IT’S RAINING, GUYS! JUST COME AND SEE!’ He called out to Hafsah, Vaani, Ratul, Maurice and the entire bunch of students who had been watching the rain in the jar. The commotion had already spread like wildfire in the mall, and everyone was rushing out to see what had trigge
red it.

  Outside the mall, a huge crowd had gathered. Massive drops of rain fell from the sky, and inside his cabin, Mr Bhalla wiped the sweat from his brow. The last time it had rained, he had been stuck in a bad traffic jam. He had cursed the rain then. And today, he was set to do so again. ‘Why did it have to come today? Now the TV channels will go on about the real rain… damn it!’

  He threw his bottle of water and it crashed on the floor as his secretary came running, shouting excitedly, ‘Sir, did you see… it’s… raining!’ Mr Bhalla picked up a book in anger and threw it at the secretary, as if the rain was his fault. The secretary closed the door reflexively, and the book slammed the door shut as Mr Bhalla slumped down in his chair with his head in his hands.

  Outside, his son, Ratul, and his friends were dancing in the rain. At first, Hafsah was scared. She could not imagine being drenched. The very idea of it revolted her, and she stood in a corner, watching the others, until Vaani and Aadi dragged her outside. One, two, three and then a volley of drops. Hafsah began to giggle. She laughed as if someone was tickling her mercilessly. The crowd that had gathered in their finest clothes for the mall’s inauguration forgot why they were there and began to dance, not caring a whit that their fancy clothes would be spoilt. The environmentalists who were there for the protest broke into loud slogans:

  ‘Long live the world!’

  ‘Nature stands with us!’

  ‘The earth saves itself!’

  And they joined the dancing kids as the press covered this magical phenomenon.

  At City Square, too, the scene was no different. The crowds were busy celebrating the pouring rain, while Mr Rainwalla and OWN were studying the skies. ‘I don’t understand, sir. You did make it rain, didn’t you?’ asked OWN timidly.

  Mr Rainwalla was too flabbergasted to respond. ‘I’m not so sure, little one. I think I did. But not… not entirely, at any rate.’

  OWN felt upset, as she had never seen her father so lost. She asked, ‘Now what, sir? What will you do now?’

  Mr Rainwalla was sad that he would not be able to lay claim to this magical day. He knew that while he was destined to be the rainmaker, his destiny had not been fulfilled yet. He would have to wait. For another day, another time… maybe some other magic. After all, there was always place for magic in the world, wasn’t there? His father used to say, ‘Magic is all about timing. You do it when no one’s looking.’ Mr Rainwalla knew he had to wait for the time when no one was looking. He turned to his daughter, lifted her in his arms and said, ‘Never mind, love. We will dance in this rain.’

  OWN had never seen her father like this. It was as if the rain had washed away all his anger and anxiety. She secretly hoped that he would remain like this always. Normal. Just like other fathers. She couldn’t help but thank the rain. In some ways, it was just like magic.

  At the experiment centre, Ma and Dad rushed for cover but Anoushqa just stood transfixed, her mouth half-open, as she felt the new sensation of raindrops on her face. Gargi and the team of scientists also stood under a tin-roofed shed in one corner of the ground, watching the ten-year-old girl who’d stood her ground. Anoushqa couldn’t believe it. So this was what dreams were made of. Of drops of heaven falling from the sky and landing on your face, your brow, your feet, the ground below, and settling like they were born to live there forever.

  Grampa. She looked at him and realized he knew already. When the first drop of rain had fallen on his face, he had opened his eyes and looked up, squinting at the sky. And when it had poured, his joy knew no bounds. Now he slowly removed his shawl and, with difficulty, got out of his wheelchair and stepped forward into the rain as it poured on his face, his arms… drenching him completely from head to toe. He spread out his arms and slowly whirled around. Anoushqa smiled looking at him, thinking, ‘He looks like a peacock right about now.’

  Just then, a fleet of cars pulled up one after the other. A number of men in black, armed with guns, stepped out and took up positions as the door of the third car opened and out stepped the prime minister of India himself! ‘Looks like I’m late for the party,’ he announced, smiling as Gargi and her team of scientists stood there respectfully. Anoushqa looked at him, and, to her surprise, he wasn’t wearing gold robes or carrying a magic wand. The prime minister of India looked just like them!

  Anoushqa’s parents stepped aside to make way for the PM, who smiled and said, ‘Why are you all standing here under cover? Look at the girl and her grandfather. That’s the way to enjoy the rain.’ Saying this, he stepped into the rain unannounced, much to the shock of his bodyguards and secretary, who ran behind him with an umbrella, getting themselves drenched in the process. Never ever in her dreams had Anoushqa thought that she would be dancing with her Grampa on one side and the prime minister of India on the other in the middle of pouring rain!

  If this was a dream, then Anoushqa was sure she never wanted to wake up again.

  It rained for three whole days and three whole nights. All over the world. People across the globe uploaded pictures and videos of themselves dancing in the rain.

  Some couples got married against this backdrop, thinking it might not rain again in their lifetime. Some others danced like there was no tomorrow. Thousands of people remained on the streets for those three nights, refusing to enter their homes, because none of them believed that they would live to witness this magic again. Warring countries stopped fighting and declared peace. Flowers blossomed in deserts, and fresh green shoots sprouted up on dry, dusty streets. No crime was reported in those three days and nights as the entire world stood humbled under nature’s waterfall.

  While Grampa slept peacefully in his room, the evening news blared through the television wall. Ma, Dad and Anoushqa watched eagerly as Noor Enayat, who could barely conceal her excitement, reported, ‘This is the event of the millennium. Sixty out of sixty-four countries succeeded in their rainmaking experiments, and what a phenomenal success it was! Had it not been for ten-year-old Anoushqa Narang from India and the rainmaking page she created for her grandfather—which literally set off the chain of events that followed—one can only wonder how many more years we would have had to wait for this magic. It looks like the ten-year-old girl’s prayers have been answered by none other than the Almighty himself. This rain has proven, once again, that nature is the biggest equalizer in this world, and how infinitely small humans are in the scheme of things. This is Noor Enayat, reporting from Chennai, India.’

  The school had declared a mini vacation in honour of the rain. Anoushqa was idling at home when she wandered into Grampa’s room. ‘How’re you feeling now, Grampa?’ she asked.

  Grampa replied cheerfully, ‘Never been better.’

  This time, Anoushqa knew that Grampa wasn’t lying. She could hear it in his voice and see it in the sparkle in his eyes. He looked outside his window—he had opened it now. Several birds flew in and out from the Moisture Retention Garden.

  Anoushqa was looking at the cooing pigeons outside when she spotted something in the sky. ‘Grampa, look!’ she exclaimed.

  Grampa’s eyes brimmed with tears when he saw what she was pointing to: the beautiful coloured arc of a rainbow right outside his window.

  Anoushqa’s mouth opened in wonder. ‘Wow! I never thought a rainbow would look like this, Grampa. I wonder if the magician made it. He said he would throw in a rainbow for free at twenty thou—’ She stopped short, realizing that Grampa was listening intently to the secret she had intended to keep to herself forever.

  Grampa repeated, ‘Twenty thousand? Rupees…? Where did you get so much money?’

  Anoushqa let out a sigh. ‘Let’s just say I had to trim some expenses,’ she said, pointing to her hair. Grampa laughed, and Anoushqa’s eyes twinkled naughtily as she looked outside the window. ‘What do you think lies at the end of that rainbow, Grampa?’ she asked.

  ‘A pot of gold, or so I’m told,’ he replied.

  ‘Really? But that doesn’t seem lofty enough!’ Anoushqa a
sked.

  ‘You know what I think really lies at the end of that rainbow? Millions of colourful little butterflies, just like you, flapping their wings and weaving their threads, making rainbows in the sky,’ replied Grampa, smiling down at her.

  ‘Now that seems like a logical enough answer,’ said a satisfied Anoushqa. Little butterflies—hard at work, day and night—making these rainbows seemed so plausible right about now!

  Anyone would believe that story. After this rain, anyone would believe anything!

  In the evening, Dad found Grampa smiling in his sleep. When he went in to check on him later, he had passed away. Anoushqa looked at his face. It seemed like he had been watching something very beautiful in his dream, and had suddenly let go. She wasn’t sad that day.

  She realized that all the while she had been busy making rain, life had been busy preparing her for this moment… the loss of her Grampa.

  Epilogue

  All the rituals were completed that evening. No one at home could sleep that night. Anoushqa could hear whispers from Ma and Dad’s room into the wee hours of the morning, which was when she fell asleep.

  At the breakfast table, Ma handed her some toast and said, ‘You don’t have to go to school today, you know.’

  ‘No, Ma,’ Anoushqa replied, ‘I want to go.’

  It didn’t take her very long to get dressed now. Just her yellow cotton frock with a blue belt, and she was ready. No Sun Saver lotion. No body protectors. Anoushqa felt lighter than she ever had.

  She was late for school that day. She knew that class would have started already, but she was surprised to see most of her teachers present in the classroom. They seemed to be discussing something important. Anoushqa hesitated at the door.

  Just then, Vaani shouted, ‘Ma’am, Anoushqa is here!’ The teachers turned towards her and, to her surprise, they all smiled.