And Then the Winter!

When we returned to Kolkata by the third week of January 2023 we hoped we still had a chance of catching the winter that we miss most often due to our compulsory visits to Maharashtra. As per our own experience in previous years in the city of joy the month of February could still be cold or even chilly if you're lucky! We had the stock of the woollens ready to welcome us in. However, to our utter disappointment the temperatures kept on climbing making the use of all my sweaters, jackets, blazers and so on an wasted thought. The summer looked to be around very early this time. In fact, in several regions of the country there were heat waves! February heat waves, imagine! 

Early March we came to Assam as another integral part of our compulsive itinerary. The first few days were almost the same in terms of heat, except that the nights were much cooler, but still not enough to justify the use of sweaters one of which I carried in my bag as a reasonable discretion. From the 15th of that month things changed, as if to recompense our unfulfilled desires. 

Weather became cloudy. Rains, not exactly downpours, became intermittent; there were thunderstorms in various parts; and a steady cold breeze became the order of every day. All these factors made the air cool, and then really chilly. I thanked myself profusely for my discretion of carrying a sweater. I wore that continuously for at least ten days and thought remorsefully about the unutilized stock cold shouldered by the cupboards of Kolkata! 

We don't know if the conditions thus created are thanks to the unseasonal rains or the westerly winds or the ominously omnipresent climate change phenomenon. But anyhow, we had the winter that we desired so much to enjoy, even though we'd discovered it quite a bit  late. Yes, and then the winter, belated but most welcome! 

Over the 'wintry' days we got the news that these conditions were observed in most parts of the country, and that the month became the coldest March in more than seventy years. 

Now, what but to brace for the looming summer which, as the Met department has already declared, is going to be rough with above normal temperatures in almost all the states of India. But as usual, we cannot be too sure of anything. Soaring heat that then becomes intolerably humid has been the state of things in the last at least three years, with add-on of the Pandemic. Only wish the Homo Sapiens had found a solution to tackle climate change and global warming effectively. To be safe, let's not worry too much! 

Chasing The Sun…!

 

We literally chase the sun for the warmth of its sunlight during the winter season, particularly in the northern, eastern and north eastern regions of India. In most places of the western and southern regions real winter has always been rare. Of course, in some years there are days in the months of December and January when we get the chill, and the question of considering this as real winter depends from which region you come from: for the people of the wintry regions we just mentioned don’t consider such weather as winter, but only as pleasant; however, the local people welcome the ‘winter’ heartily, drying up their woolens and wearing their sweaters, jackets, mufflers and shawls outside even if after some time the sweat forms inside. On such days we realize the importance of having flats that allow a lot of sunlight. This season in Mumbai we are having such pleasant or cold days following the cold waves in the north and we loving the morning sunlight filtering through the windows and balconies. Although for a short while, we are enjoying the warmth lounging on chairs chasing the sunlight; this is apart from the homemakers who always chase the sun throughout the day for drying up the daily clothes burden, continuously adjusting the positions on the hangers as per the sun’s movements.

 

In my native stand-alone home (no longer existing) in Guwahati, Assam we were lucky to have a green grassy campus, and during the months of biting winter at least two chairs were always placed in the green courtyard for our grandparents. They used to lounge on those chairs immediately after an early breakfast, constantly adjusting their chairs as per the position of the sun. As and when the burning sunlight became too much they used to turn their chairs to have their backs bask in the sunlight. During my home visits during winter a third chair was invariably placed where I used to sit and chat with the others, almost devouring the warmth like a long-deprived person. Valuable add-ons were the steaming cups of tea, the newspapers and book-reading.

 

After lunch we used to come out again enjoying the sunlight till it turned fading. Cloudy mornings were extremely unwelcome, and rainy days were very depressing. On such days we had to burn the charcoal that I used to buy from the weekly market for my grandmother during the daytime too. The other members of the family used to wrap themselves up with the warmest of shawls apart from their sweaters and slump down into the sofas or chairs or beds available. This wintry habit of mine continued long after my grandparents left for their heavenly abodes, and at times I invited ire from my mother and my wife for my omnipresent basking-chair outside and ignoring other domestic duties. The dusk was the coldest time on the rainy winter days and the bonfires or the firewood or the charcoal fires used to be lit up well in advance.    

 

During my two-year stay in Shillong, one of the coldest hilly cities and tourist spots of the north eastern region where winter prevails throughout the year, chasing the sun had been a desperate venture, particularly during the sub-zero months of December and January. This is more for the reason that the sunlight there is always a precious occurrence with the ever-present clouds covering up the sun on most mornings and the freezing rains following very often. Therefore, whenever we had the luck of a bright morning sun we literally used to chase it throughout the day adjusting ourselves in all possible positions. Reclined in a chair near the window with the sweet warmth of the filtering sunlight along with a hot steaming cup of tea had been an experience I’ll never forget. And of course, my wife used to make hundreds of trips climbing the stairs up to the terrace to dry up the daily clothes burden. Then, there were the howling winds, the thunder showers and hailstorms.

 

I find the winter season very enjoyable, because it gives more energy and you have no problem of shedding your clothes to ward off the oppressive heat during the summer, and instead can wear as many layers of clothing as you need. I think most other people do enjoy too. No wonder, tourists flock on to the colder places, particularly during the snowing season, even ignoring the pandemic threats. We do find in most offices the staffers basking out in the sunlight in the green lawns or on the pavements with tea stalls during their leisure hours. We hope Mumbai give us more such pleasant or cold days this season so that people enjoy stay-home much more than unnecessarily going out with the continuing rain of new daily infections.

Mumbai Winter—Chilly Monday!

Mumbai shivered on Monday yesterday and its genuine winter after 2008 is continuing. The mercury had reached 11 degree Celsius yesterday—at least 4-5 degrees below normal—and the met office forecasts further decline in temperatures. In the coldest city of Maharashtra, Nashik, the mercury went down below five degrees. With the sun coming out strong cold breeze at daytime gets neutralized and you feel comfortable with your normal attire. But if you go out late in the night you feel the biting cold and you wake up to chilly mornings. For a change Mumbai nights are being decorated with bonfires with the most vulnerable people like watchmen, guards and night-duty staff enjoying the warmth.

 Mumbai gets such an occasional winter thanks to severe cold wave conditions in North India. From mid-December, 2011 till now acute cold wave conditions have been gripping and sweeping across the region. For the past five days it has been snowing in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh—the northernmost states. There is no respite expected al least for the next few days. 

Most Mumbaikars (inhabitants of Mumbai) are not used to winters and woollens. So they are in a sort of a dilemma the moment a rare winter hits them. They feel the pinch while going out in the mornings or returning at night, but as the day progresses things get back to near normal. So, if you decide to wear warm cloths you start sweating at noon and if you don’t then you shiver in the odd hours. You face the dilemma at home too. Going to bed with the thick blanket is fraught with grave dangers though you crave for its warmth, because very soon you feel like throwing it off. Wise people keep the ceiling fans on and balance it out cozily under the blanket. In this uncertain process of adjusting to winter many catch a sore throat or a fever or an infection keeping the doctors busy.

But some others are excitedly digging out their sweaters, jackets, overcoats, mufflers and so on from their closets and are having a great time. There is no reason why you should not enjoy. You get it only once in a while. It’s set to dip below 10! You are set to have the most biting winter in decades! Enjoy!