Ah! Summer Or is It Ohh! Summer?

I admit it unashamedly that after thinking for 3 whole days, I failed to come up with a relevant topic for my next blog which will be informative and exceptional. So, I decided the obvious. Let’s talk about the weather!

As an Indian citizen by birth, I try to go along with all the levels of its constant transformations. I live in the eastern region, in the bright and beautiful city of Kolkata. It’s very bright right now. I mean really bright. It’s the summer and the sun rays reflecting on the pavements almost burns our eyes.

Though the eastern part has four proper seasons, but we, the sarcastic Kolkatans named them according to own emotions - Hottest, hotter, hot and less hot (Summer, rain, autumn and winter). Fair enough! Summer dominates this part of the State unconditionally, uncontested. The months of April, May and June are brutal.

The first thing to find in a sweaty country in summer is to be cool while commuting. Their are the fortunate ones with air conditioned cars, and others who can afford AC cabs. And the crowds at metro stations surge, because of the air conditioning. I, personally, have waited 20 minutes in the scorching 2 o’clock sun when the temperatures rose to 40 degrees centigrade, to get onto an AC bus. Who cares if it’s expensive as long as we get the cool air!

Then of course there is this summer fashion. Summer, here is is not wonderfully springy like in Europe or USA. So, dressing up or actually dressing down is a royal pain. Synthetic has replaced Indian cotton for many and these clothes become portable steam baths after a few hours in the heat. Cosmetics were not made for Indian temperatures with mascaras and lipsticks running by the time commuters brave the crowds and the heat to get of the work place.

Then there are the summer foods, the summer fruit---mangoes, melons, delicious!---and of course the summer drinks. Tea becomes cold as does coffee, with a dash of ice cream. Yogurt is sought for as appetites dip in favour of the cool morsel.

And those moving from the AC vehicle into the scorching heat then fall prey to the summer fever. The mighty summer fever. We get the runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, headache and bloody nose. Stop the ice, do not drink cold water. It’s like telling Harry Potter don’t become a wizard!

Just when you think you’ll die or permanently move to the Himalayas, there is relief. The summer thunderstorm. When the clouds overcast the sky, when the cool wind sweeps the trees and the hot and thirsty birds start chirrupping, when we hear glass window panes breaking somewhere due to the wind (admit it, it happens every-freaking-single-time) and finally, when the cold water soothes and washes the sore, dried and melted environment, we feel paradise with all the distress and suffering forgotten.

Then its hot again next day with the same old burning sunrays, the rush for ACs and the search for cold water.

But then we pause and think. If it was not for the heat the flowers would not have their enticing smell or their beautiful colors, the sky wouldn’t have the gorgeous blue luminosity, the exotic birds wouldn’t have their luxurious feathers and the fruit wouldn’t be this irresistibly sweet. And we would not be this passionate, argumentative people with stars in our eyes.

So we can resent summer, swear at it, scream out our sweat, but at the same time we remain captivated in this strange love-hate relationship we have developed with the season.