Thursday, April 12, 2007

the long summer ahead

This pic was taken in the evening of what was one of the last days of winter in the city. It had rained the night before and in the morning, and was very windy through the day. The wind was icy, it must have snowed in the mountains. Not the ones you can see here, for these are just the shivaliks, the starting of the Himalayas.

This time winter and spring played with our linear ordering of seasons. And we must be thankful the pleasant season had actually lasted so long. But then, the human heart yearns for more and more of the good thing, it can never be satisfied with what it has.

Winter is a love story. We keep waiting for love but it creeps in imperceptibly. It always takes you by surprise. And it has layers and layers, each closing in on the other. Shawl, half sweater, full sweater and jackets. Blanket, then quilt, then the rajai. And the heater.

There is never enough that one could have of love. At its peak, I would still want it to get colder, the temperature to drop further. It went to 0 this time, I wanted snow. I went to shimla and walked on snow, I wanted it to snow then and there and stay for days there.

And like love, one fine day its over. Its probably been in the offing for a while, but nevertheless you never know till you wake up one day to declare summer. You can fight the inevitable by continuing with the warm water baths and by not switching on the fan, but you can pin the end, almost to the day. The day you stopped saying ‘I love you’, the day you woke up with bad dreams because it got hot under the quilt.

And then the long wait begins. You think you will never see it again. Yet you keep planning for it. You think you will make do with affairs for love may never happen again and go to hill stations. You think you will never live through summer to see another winter. But you will. When you have given up altogether, the nip in the air returns. This love story will survive. Till global warming do us part?

7 comments:

Minerva said...

hmmm.....my love story begins in summer...the blankets, sweaters, rajai and layers and layers....not my type :-)

Minerva said...

oh ..but u always wish summers are not as hot as they are..an optimum day temperature of 25 and minimun 10 - 12 ..now now is it getting too specific???

rama srinivasan said...

its okay (a)muser, thats the practical approach to love!!!
i want the weather to hover around zero permenently. what the hell am i doing to delhi?

The Parish said...

lovely . . . i'm waiting for my winter . . . right now its gristly summer to what i've surrendered

Unknown said...

I have never been comfortable for the past 6 months since i landed in this new city mumbai..all i experience is a fuming hot weather with uncontrolled pollution..makes me think why did i leave bangalore.experiencing.. 3 yrs of fantastic weather.then why did i leave long lived coimbatore..why not go stay in the hill station where my Dad is working until he retires..well as you said there is an end.. though my strong luv still exists ..i had this luxury for 25 years..quaterly,half-yearly , annual holidays..semester holidays till i completed Master's....i am hoping that MNC's will open shop one day in hill stations..just cannot handle. when it is hot.....just chilled by looking at author's photo and the old album of the hill station.( will try to share with the author....first time visit to Delhi in Jan..nice weather though the republic day weather was little hot..shot trip away from country though summer 3 comfortable months....why can't it be like this throughout ???..first get out of mumbai soon..??but to your point global warming is starting to play its role...may be it is time for people to think sensible like Baker..or like people ( British construction).who built by staff houses where my Dad is working...full windows..half walls ..inside walls by woods....OOPS !!! already sweating..time to grab a drink...

rama srinivasan said...

MNCs in hill stations??? what horrors r we to see in future. already the big resorts are ruining our hills. renu, ur blog is opening up frightful possibilities

Unknown said...

Well i was just consoling myself..author was reminding me of summer breaks i had 25 yrs..obligated to MNC's now past 4 years all i enjoy traffic,may be nice buildings though i fancy a simple hill station construction,, pollution bla bla bla...for a second i thought it would be nice ..atleast for me to retain similar feeling.. ...but nothing will happen Rama..do not worry ..i will the one to oppose such an idea..i hate spoilsports against nature..i will try to put the album may be u will realize the way i feel