Beautiful start to Summer 08

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:46:14 GMT

It is already April but is it summer yet? It is gloomy in the morning, bright in the noons and pours later in the evening. Last Sunday, it rained hail stones. And I was in a closed hall scribbling away answers to what monotonous questions. Boo Hoo.

The sun isn't his prickly harsh self. So far, I have not switched on the room cooler for the year. Even if I do use the fan, it is on low speed to ward off the mosquitoes. Some mornings resemble the chilly December mornings and remind you to wear something warm. The roads are beautifully wet and covered by a carpet of freshly withered flowers. The slush on the road soil the clothes early in the morning. It is not breezy. It feels wonderful to walk in the fantastic weather.

Last year this time, I had to buy a brand new air cooler to find comfort in the unbearable heat. There was no sign of rain. This year is different. While the summer was supposed to officially start on 7 March (Shivarathri), its been surprisingly pleasant. We thought the rains were the expected one or two timers of the season but it doesn't seem to stop. The summer has already been reduced by a month.We just have another 6 weeks of harsh summer before the rain starts playing havoc again.

And we have been granted this wonderful gift by the depression in Bay of Bengal off the coast of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Unfortunately, one man's food is another man's poison. The incessant rains in these states have destroyed the crops and left many homeless. This is key considering we are going for state elections in a month's time. The rain has always beena deciding factor in deciding a political party's future. Is it a coincidence that the rain is playing very differently when the elections are around? I mean, the same thing happened four years ago. Remember S M Krishna's debacle?

Anyways, I know I am being selfish in wanting this weather to continue as long as possible. But I do pray that the farmers don't incur losses and homes don't collapse or get flooded. Is someone listening?

Under the Rainbow: Seasons

Beautiful start to Summer 08