Summer time in Bangalore
You can feel the summer setting in. As soon as you wake up there is a certain kind of smell & warmth in the air. Just a few days back we were pulling up our quilts in the early hours of the morning & now without much of an effort we are pushing it away. The fans that were switched off are now running at its lowest speed & as the summer sets in further, the first sound you will hear when you enter any room is that of the fan whirling above.
Out on the road sun glasses & umbrellas in the hands of pretty ladies will be something to marvel. The numerous Ganesh Fruit Juice centers will do brisk business & so will the water mellon & tender coconut sellers. Another sight that you can see around this time in Bangalore is water stored in earthen pots under shamianas or under a tree for the people passing by to quench their thirst. This summer, the two wheeler riders will have something to crib & cry about – the helmet rule will show its real impact only now. And people’s conversations will invariably have a brief discussion or an observation on how hot it is getting.
At home… summer means buying an earthen pot to store water (refrigerator may be of little use due to the load shedding) & making papads & other such friable items & drying them on the terrace. Guests at home will be entertained with juices & cold water instead of coffee & tea.
This year summer time in Bangalore means Load Shedding. This wasn’t the case the last year but now there are news reports after news reports that say there will be load shedding this year & which we have already had a preview of over the last few days. This means the candles will be out, the emergency lights will flicker on & noisy generators will add to the noise pollution.
Every season has its ups & downs, its share of the good & the bad. Whichever way you look at it there is no escaping the weather & what it brings with it. But yeah there is a little something that can be done. Weather changes from one place to another so you can change the place if you don’t like the weather. So would you leave Bangalore for its weather???
Happy summer friends!
Come rain or shine, Bangalore is always fine!
Welcome aboard, Lokesh! Expressive first post. Please do use the categories as well as tags! Cheers, Ravi
Rain , rain come again! and Again
Yes it took me down the memories… Add to the pains of no power, no water the things like gastro diseases – this makes way every summer. Just be carefull when you eat out.
Well written summer reminder Lokesh. Welcome aboard.
Welcome Lokesh!
ayyo raama,
papad igoo majjige meNsu, sanDige gu bahala doora saar.
Nice essay. Thanks.
A question: you wrote “making papads & other such friable items & drying them on the terrace.”
Could someone write about drying food in the sun? I’ve seen seeds and lemon peels left in the sun by my landlady. What kinds of food do people leave in the sun to dry, and can you give me some tips? This sounds interesting.
nice write up !!!
Hey Lokesh,
Welcome 2 Bangalore Met Blogs!
Hi, sorry for this delayed response to all your comments.
Thanks Ravi for your feedback, rain or shine Bangalore is always fine, nice rhyme & very true as well.
I agree with you Mohan on the eating out part.
Thank you Silkboard, Rajesh, Shande & Shadow for your encouraging words.
And Sid, I dont claim to know much about the food kept out for drying and how it is made, all I had to do was take it up to the terrace spread it out there & gaurd it. :-)