Kolkata, Monsoon: The reflected glint of sunlight on a puddle through a bicycle's wheel gives this picture a surreal, otherworldly feel. The flipped image juxtaposes the romance of the rains with the struggle of the working class. Regardless of the season, men and women step out on the dark, rain-sloshed streets, some on their cycles, some on foot.

While schoolchildren rejoice with the descent of the first raindrops, their muddy splashes and unfettered laughter merging with the downpour, there are many for whom the season brings hardship and inconvenience.

Out on the streets of the City of Joy, you will spot divergent scenes of sincere innocence and withered age through a play of circumstances reflected on the wet earth.

In this symphony of rain and humanity, Kolkata's monsoon emerges as an enchanting spectacle, where instead of blotting the surroundings, it brings into sharp focus the contrasts of the season—a time of renewal and routine, of mirth, mingled with melancholy. As the thunder rumbles on, carrying the joys of kids and looking at the journeys of the city folk, you remember—how you feel about the rain depends on what you see outside your window.