The denizens of the Kathmandu Valley had a few drops of water from the heavens on Wednesday evening after a long lull. The continual raining lasting several days that has marked virtually every winter in the capital was missing this time around. The

skies threw cold water on the wet hopes of people thirsting for water. It was but a brief spell of thunder, lightening and strong winds but the desired stuff was just an apparition. The daily long hours of brownouts remain the status quoists. Mind you, no political overtone.

Umpteen ways have been devised to please the rain god, as people in a Dolakha village arranged wedlock for frogs in the traditional belief of it raining cats and dogs. Some have also arranged the Purana recitations. Going to extremes, in the past women in birthrobes have also made fields their dancing zone in the darkness of the night. This time only hopes remain, despite all the attempts. The winter harvest is predicted to go bad sans the heavenly rains. The token shower brought only drops to the vast desert, and a wry smile on the faces of the people. Meanwhile, water is gracing the people’s taps with diminishing frequency and quantity. Even the expensive supply by tanker is hard to come by. A long dry period marked by Asian Brown Cloud with its fallout is certain to make life even more difficult as the rain god seems to be sticking to his own plan, which is a mystery to all of us.