One rain, a thousand stories

What could unfold in the wild in one evening of rain? Nature beating to its own rhythms – unhurried and magical

I own a small piece of land near the Bandipur Tiger Reserve – an area frequented by a variety of wildlife, including elephants. This land, like many other privately owned plots in the region, plays an important role in the larger ecosystem. Hundreds of such acres exist in private hands, and in my view, they should either be acquired by the government for conservation purposes or managed thoughtfully to support wildlife.

Choosing the latter path, I’ve dedicated myself to keeping my land as wildlife-friendly as possible. Along the way, this little patch of earth
has become more than a refuge – it has become my teacher. I’ve learned not only about the animals who visit but also about the silent, intricate laws that govern the natural world.

This year, on the 11th of March at 5:40 p.m., the first drops of rain finally arrived. A brief drizzle, no more than five minutes, seemed to tease the parched land. The heat and humidity that followed made the air almost unbearable. But five days later, on the 16th, the skies truly opened. For two glorious hours,
the rain poured – a long-awaited blessing after nearly five dry months. It was as if the clouds themselves could no longer endure the suffocating stillness.

That evening, the mosquito population erupted – seemingly tenfold. The buzzing was relentless, and sleep was nearly impossible. But the following morning revealed a different world, a magical transformation. Hundreds of swallows had appeared as if conjured by the dawn. Usually, only a few flit about after sunrise, but on this day, they came in overwhelming numbers, swooping low over the land. They had arrived for a feast – mosquitoes, moths, and other insects that were stirred into life by the rain.

As the sun climbed higher, a steady stream of blue tiger and common crow butterflies began drifting across from east to west. By evening, thousands had passed overhead, wordless travellers with unknown destinations. Then, as the light dimmed, swarms of minuscule white flies – smaller than fruit flies – filled the air, triggering an elegant aerial ballet as the swallows chased their evening meal.

With the sun retreating to light another part of the world, a new spectacle began: thousands of winged termites emerged. I sat quietly on the balcony, soaking in the solitude, when the sound of large wings caught my attention. Expecting an owl, I looked up – only to see a flurry of bats, some four times the size of my palm, diving and darting through the twilight, unleashing an aerial attack on the termites.

Time slipped by unnoticed until a rustling at the fence drew my eyes. A sloth bear had arrived – it was using its enormous claws to tear into the earth. It was transitioning from a sweet diet of Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana) and Ziziphus jujube (jackal jujube) to a protein-rich menu of termites. Amidst its feast, a small Indian civet appeared. Startled for just a moment, the bear respectfully gave way, heading off in another direction. The civet had come for its share of the night’s bounty, wasting no time in collecting the protein nature had so suddenly provided.

It’s all connected

By then, it was time for me to log off. So much had happened in just 24 hours. What I witnessed was surely only a glimpse of the transformations unfolding around me. The rest – what I didn’t see, hear, or sense – remains known only to nature herself. All this from one evening of rain.

Nature’s rhythms are guided by invisible yet deeply interconnected laws. Flora and fauna respond with an exquisite sensitivity that far exceeds our own. They adapt, act, and transform in harmony with even the subtlest natural changes in their environment. Yet we often impose and advocate simplified, human-centred solutions – planting fruit trees in forests, offering artificial water sources – without understanding the intricate timing and context behind each event in the wild.

I wonder even if we provide the mosquitoes to the swallows how will we ensure that it rains so that the termites can emerge in thousands for the sloth bears to access their protein-rich meals? Who will push the blue tigers and common crows to migrate en masse to their destinations which we are unaware of?

In nature, every process follows its own rhythm and sequence, guided by a web of interconnected rules. Each step must unfold in its own time, ensuring harmony within the greater whole. There is a wisdom here – one we must learn to respect, rather than override.

(The author is a wildlife biologist and conservationist)