Monsoon’s maiden shower: people throng picnic spots

Aftab Alam

ISLAMABAD, June 29, 2010: The residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad heaved a sigh of relief with the first shower of monsoon bathing them to the roots after a prolonged spell of intense heat on Tuesday.

Most of the families preferred to enjoy the pleasant weather at different picnic spots of Islamabad.

Muhammad Arshad, a resident of Dhoke Syedan, Rawalpindi, who took his wife and two children for a picnic to Daman-e-Koh, said: “The pleasant weather gave me a chance to come here with my family to have a nice time.”

Snober Arshad, his wife, excitedly said: “Our children were having summer vacation and they demanded it time and again to take them to some resort but the intense heat forced us to stay at home. Today’s rain gave us the much needed chance to take our kids for an outing.” “ We went to Rawal Dam first but then we decided to come here and we are happy that the kids are having a lot of fun,” she concluded smilingly.

A teenage boy, Yasir Gulfam, playing ‘hide and seek’ with his cousins at Lake View Park, said while panting: “We are having a great time and pray to God that the weather remains pleasant for some more days so that we can enjoy our summer vacation to the full.”

Danish Ahmed, a university student who came to Daman-e-Koh with his classmates, said: “I woke up this morning by the sound of raindrops striking against the widowpane of my bedroom. I contacted my friends and we have come here to enjoy the first rain of monsoon.”

A girl named Shazia Waqar, who accompanied her parents to the Pakistan Monument, said: “It was a much needed shower that we had this morning after a long time. Life had become so tough, dry and dull due to the scorching heat wave we had, but the first shower of rain has added rainbow to our life and we are here to enjoy.”

The resorts of Islamabad witnessed a great rush and people pouring in dozens the whole day.

The first monsoon spell is expected to continue for three to four days and after a break of a few days, it will persist for the whole season with intervals, according to weather reports. Whereas the monsoon has started here, people living in southern Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan will have to show patience as monsoon will not start there before the first week of July. -- INFN (Infochange News and Features Network) (with photograph)