I don’t think there is anyone out there who likes summers. This weather has never been welcomed by people but in the last two decades, it has become simply unbearable, courtesy global warming that has led to shocking increase in average temperatures across the world. In India, the twin months of May and June are known to be extremely hot and it is common to see people complaining about the weather at homes and offices. “Garmi” is the hot topic of discussion everywhere and I personally feel that it is the 24*7 discomfort the summer season brings with itself that makes people crib so much. The power cuts, water shortage, sweating, skin rashes; there are so many pain points that make summer seem like a scourge.
I also dislike summers and as soon as March ends, I feel ill at ease and begin to think as to how am I going to live peacefully in these irritable months but as human beings, we are quite adaptable and once we start adapting, we also begin to appreciate the small joys of a situation that we could never notice, let alone admire, earlier. Since May is drawing to a close, I have to say that I have adapted to a great extent and I have also begun to count the unique delights that one can only relish in the hot weather. Though they are few, they are really worthy of praise. So, here are the small wonders.
The most delightful one is Sharbat or one may even include cold drinks in this category. The sweet cold drinks feel so soothing after a sweaty day that for a few moments you forget all the cruelty the hot weather has been wreaking on your body and mind. Every sip of the good old Rasna or the staple summer drink- Rooh Afza or the “Nimbu Paani” tastes heavenly in summer 🙂 Sharbat is really the rock star in these sweltering days that makes one forget the atrocities of the weather with a simple sip. It is made for this season and I don’t find it wrong to say that like sugar, summer is an important ingredient that goes into the making of Sharbat. You just cannot taste it in any other weather.
Summer may be damned but the weather can easily take pride in the fact that the “King of Fruits” chose it over other seasons to arrive on people’s plates. I know many mango lovers, who wait for summers so that they can relish the sweet and succulent “Aam.” For many, even the kaccha aam or raw mango is a source of immense joy as they find the chutney and the achar (pickle) unbeatable. I remember one of my aunts saying that she could survive the whole summer without sabzi (cooked vegetables) if she had ripe mangoes to go with the chapattis 🙂
Summers are notorious for depriving people of their precious sleep. The power cuts are known to rob people’s peace of mind but there is one thing that can make up for this loss. It is not the ozone-destroying AC. It is the good old eco-friendly cooler that can guarantee a good sleep in minutes. Of course, AC is replacing coolers in most households but if one has ever stood near an AC, outside the place it is installed, one can well understand at what costs it brings the cooling. No such thing with the cooler. It is cool; outside and inside and the best thing is that if one wants one can also have loads of fun playing with water as one fills the cooler with its fuel 🙂
Reflections 