Under a Cloud
by Binoo K. John
Penguin $150
Having never been to Cherrapunji, the wettest place on Earth high up in the hills of northeast India, my notions of it were romantic: swirling clouds, dense mists through which mountain peaks could be discerned and such torrential downpours that the cosiest place was in front of a roaring log fire with one's inamorata.
The reality, according to Binoo K. John's engaging and evocative Under a Cloud, is more banal. True, the landscape is stunningly beautiful, but clothes never dry, books curl if left outside, and all around is permanent mildew, moss and bacteria. And forget the logs - lighting a cigarette is a task, never mind a wet log.
Cherrapunji, perched in the Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, is unique. In the monsoon months of June and July in 2002, the whole of northwest India recorded 131.7mm of rain. In just one day in July, Cherrapunji recorded 479.2mm. While large parts of India shrivel up from droughts, the rain never stops in Cherrapunji. The British, who sent battalions of missionaries to the northeast to set up schools (the region is predominantly Christian), must have felt at home amid the grey skies and sunless days.