I love the gentle pitter patter of rain outside the window. In fact, most people admit to finding it comforting and cosy. There's so much more to rain than the sound and the feeling though, especially in a place like India. For every kid frollicking in a puddle, there's a harrowed parent worrying about the stains. There's a good side and a bad side to everything, and that is most relevant when it comes to the Indian rains.

Here are some pictures depicting the 2 sides to rain in India.

1. Raining merry showers and raining melancholy downpours

2. Raining stories of dead earth and raining stories of living struggles

3. Outdoor thrills and indoor safety

4. Rains that destroy and rains that devastate

5. Rains that cleanse and rains that pollute

6. Angry skies and weeping land

7. Rains that play spoilsport and rains that bring life into play

8. Rains that bring tides of fun and rains that bring tides of illness

9. Rains that look lovely and rains that feel ugly

10. Rain of life-giving waters and rain of life-threatening waters

11. Rains that usher in progress and rains that push us behind

12. It's nice to breathe, but impossible to walk

13. Rains that encourage love and rains that discourage growth