A Short Moon Diary Summary and Key Themes

The article consists of A Short Monsoon Diary summary. The diary of Ruskin Bond records the personal experiences of the author that he has written day after day over a long period. In his diary, the author has described the monsoon of Mussoorie from his viewpoint. After a long Monsoon, when the Winter rain finally arrives, the author feels like something is missing like his friend had left him and describes every experience of weather change in his diary.

Detailed Summary of A Short Monsoon Diary

On the first day of the monsoon, June 24, the birds had gone silent, the forest was quiet as if it was midnight. Due to the mist that covered the hills, he could hear Bijju calling his sister but was unable to see him. The rainfall was so heavy that mist covered everything like a blanket, making it unable to hear or see anything.

On June 25, the weather had become warm and humid, it felt comfortable, unlike the usual cold, and the author described the hill and valley as paradise.

On June 27, Due to the monsoon, some seasonal animals like the leopard, leeches, and birds also visited. The leopard lifted the dogs and attacked cattle and other animals. It even attacked Bijju’s cows but fled when Bijju’s mother approached it. The Scarlet Minivet bird arrived and sat among the tree leaves.

It’s August 2, though there was less thunder, it continuously rained. The author sheltered under his roof was untouched by the rain, yet he felt in touch with the rain by the sound of drops falling on his tin roof.

On August 3, It had stopped raining, and the clouds had parted, letting sunshine fall on the hills. People were again out in the open doing their chores. As nature shakes off the rainwater, a song of the whistling thrush coming from a distance sounds clean and pure and pleases the author. 

On August 12, the author explains how it has been raining continuously for more than a week, and the sun had not made its appearance in the past 8-9 days. The rain has made everything soggy and damp but not cold. People need to use umbrellas to go out. The hillside is lush with the arrival of new flowers.

It’s August 31, the last day of august, and the lush monsoon growth has reached its peak. The seeds of the cobra lily are becoming red, indicating that the rain is coming to an end. The snakes and rodents left their holes filled with rainwater and took shelter in attics, roofs, and godowns.

It is October 3, and this year’s monsoon has lasted longer than usual. After an evening hailstorm, a beautiful golden light gradually spreads over the sky and hills. Usually, the monsoon rain starts in the last week of June and continues until the end of August. Now the monsoon rain has ended, and the winter rain has begun.

On January 26, the winter rain is pouring. The winter rain makes the author feel lonely; he misses the monsoon rain. The author describes the monsoon rain as a friend who was staying with him but has now left. The absence of this friend makes the author feel lonely. The trees are no longer green, they are rather grey, and this intensifies the loneliness of the author.

It’s March 23, Winter is coming to an end, The blackest clouds had squatted over Mussoorie, but a hailstorm cleared the sky, and the rainbow appeared across it.