The loveliest music of all

For me, the most beautiful sound would be that of falling rain. I find it very soothing, relaxing. Just as rain washes the world, the sound of it washes away the grime and dirt in my mind, my heart, my soul. It says to me, “Stop worrying your little heart now. Lie down, read a book, or an old issue of Tinkle perhaps; make yourself a hot cup of coffee or Horlicks, and take a break from everything else, while I sing for you in the background.” I don’t put on music - not even ghazals - when it rains. I don’t want anything interfering with the sound of the rain.

So very often at night I have had some strange nightmare that in my sleep I struggled to get out of, but could not; feeling helpless, compelled to watch the uncomfortable scenes in front of my mind’s eye. And it started raining outside my window. The rain gently brought me out of the nightmare, without quite waking me up fully. Half awake, I say a small prayer of thanks to the sweet sound and fall asleep to better dreams. And the sound of the falling rain outside still in my ears.