Thoughts on Summer(and its many arrivals)

[originally written on March 23, 2025] 

The city I am in currently has been blessed with some Kal Baisakhi showers t̶o̶d̶a̶y yesterday. The interspersed drizzle throughout the day gave much-needed relief from the warm pre-summer weather that had begun to take shape during the last 10 days. As I write this, a strong cool breeze makes its way through the open windows and caresses my body in an almost sensual fashion. Why do I liken the flowing of wind to that particular emotion, you may wonder? perv much? No! Haha!

Because when the wind touches my body, all I want to do is curl up and give into that sensation and enjoy it.
One good thing about rains and cool breezes in summer in India is the relief I get from the constant humming of the fan. As if the heat and humidity weren’t enough, one has to bear the constant onslaught of the whirring sounds of a rotating motor hanging by a creaky metal pole just a few feet above your head! If I could, I would never use fans in my life and I am pretty militant about it!
But to be fair to the summer season, whose arrival is signalled by trailers of hot spells even before it is officially here, I do consider it to be pretty in one(and ONLY one!) aspect- peace!

Summer Afternoons are among the most peaceful things you can experience in the Indian subcontinent. From the bustling streets, balconies and terraces during winters where kinnow, Ganne ka juice(sugarcane juice), apples, pickles etc. liberally exchange hands of the young and old sitting in the sun to the abandoned streets during the spring and summer months, where all you’d find are dusty streets and dogs sleeping in the shade; no other country shuns the outdoors in a matter of days as the Indians do.

If you find yourself in the Eastern part of the country, either by chance or by choice, during peak pre-monsoon summers, you’d see no activity on the streets. None at all. Monkeys, dogs, cows and birds retreat to their dwellings as the sun grows in might, and men and women shut down shop, pull down their blinds and draw their curtains to escape into a lengthy afternoon siesta. I guess having rice(Pakhala, Panta bhaat) helps! This is followed religiously as a ritual. The world may go to war, be on the verge of nuclear annihilation, impending alien invasion or another raging pandemic. But people here would only care about it after having their post-siesta cup of tea. I don’t say this lightly when I say that most towns and cities transform into desolate ghost towns for those few hours.
The only way I could exaggerate this imagery more is by saying only death dares to venture into this harsh weather in the form of hot, dry and merciless winds- called loo. You’d be wise to avoid that.

But not me!

For someone who’s always in search of solitude and empty places and wishes to avoid the uncivilised, uncouth, and often rude behaviour of my fellow countrymen, extreme weather conditions provide me with an opportunity to do just that. It may be a little unpleasant to your body, but I enjoy every bit of it. Winter nights in north Indian cities are similar. I have lived most of my life in northern India and, only recently, shifted to a coastal state in the eastern part of the country. Therefore, I’ve had to opportunity to experience both extremes-and I love them both. I’ve walked home on a 48 °C afternoon and have done the same on a 0C night. The same picture of the lifeless streets as before. The only difference would be to see a poor watchman, with one or more stray curled up beside him, wrapped up in multiple thin blankets, trying to warm his hands on the fire he lights up with discarded pieces of cardboard, egg crates, newspapers etc. I guess this is the only benefit of having dirty, garbage-laden streets in this country!
Other than this, you’d be lucky to find anything else.

If you ever have the chance to experience this, you’ll realise that our cities look beautiful in their stillness and inactivity. Dare I say, the world looks much better without human activity.

As the country gears up to welcome the summer months, and thereafter, the much-awaited and loved monsoons, I plan to find joy in every moment of each season and not crib about it.

What is your favourite season, dear reader?

See you soon!

P.S. This entry was written over two days. I started it yesterday just as the rain clouds made way for the setting sun, but completed it today evening. The weather has been pleasant throughout. I haven't used the fan once. This will be changing in the coming days as after many false starts, the summers truly begin!