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Spectator by Seema Goswami: Let it wash over you
Just as the monsoon resets nature, life keeps handing us clean slates to reinvent ourselves – be it a new school, job or city
Not everyone is a fan of the monsoons (because, you know, waterlogging, bad traffic, humidity off the charts) but I have to confess that I rather enjoy the season. And one of the reasons for that is that the rains seem to wash everything clean. The trees seem greener, flowers have a fresh sheen on them, and the grass has a new springiness. All of which, to me at least, seem to signal that Nature has been given a renewed lease of life by the advent of the rains.
It is this sense of fresh beginnings that makes me love the monsoon so much (and no, it’s not the pakoras, though I am quite partial to them as well). But as I was sitting on my balcony, watching the rain cascade down, it suddenly occurred to me that new beginnings are everywhere, and come to us at every stage of life.
As a young child, I was always excited beyond belief when I entered a new year at school. There were the new textbooks to cover with brown paper, all of them holding brand-new information; new uniforms and new shoes to accommodate my growing body; and the heady prospect of a new class teacher who might like me a bit better than the last one.
That excitement multiplied a thousand-fold when I made the transition to college. This was the newest of new beginnings, with the opportunity to completely recast my personality. In a new environment, with new friends and professors, I was not weighed down by what I had been until now. I was starting with a clean slate and I could be anyone I wanted to be, secure in the knowledge that everyone would accept me at face value. I could experiment with a completely new persona, without fear of judgement or prejudice.
So, that’s just what I did. I was no longer the shy, somewhat nerdy kid of my school years who didn’t think of anything more than getting her homework done on time. I was no longer the slightly frumpy girl who tied her hair up in an oily ponytail. And I was certainly no longer the girl who was fearful of speaking in public. No, I was determined to be a completely different person in this completely different environment. And that’s just what I became. I got my hair cut in a different style, I changed the way I dressed, and I took part in activities that would have scared me to death before. And I ended up having the time of my life as a consequence.
The thing about fresh beginnings is that they are everywhere, if only we think to look for them. The birth of a new baby, for instance, doesn’t just signal a new beginning for the parents but for the entire extended family. This is the opportunity to mend broken relationships, repair the strains and stresses that may have come before, and recast the family in an entirely different way. Moving to a new city or a new home may be traumatic at some level but it is also an opportunity to declutter your life, let go of the old, and embrace the new.
It’s all really a question of perspective; just make sure yours is the right one.
From HT Brunch, August 8, 2026
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