Sunday, June 21, 2009

Weather I like it or not....

the weather is what it is.
I don't want to even think about it, but it commands my attention every waking moment.
I had guests last week, who were most upset at the sight of me dripping around the house, especially each time I entered the kitchen. I'd even taken to hanging a small towel over my shoulder, like the time honoured gamchcha, so that I wouldn't drip onto whatever I was cooking.

There is much to love about summer- beautiful flowering trees, starting with the brilliant crimson of the flame of the forest (palash- Butea monosperma) as early as March, when we first hear the koel's plaintive cry, and the brief but brilliant flowering of the trumpet tree (Tabebuia aurea), going on to the amaltas ( Cassia fistula), the copperpods (Peltophorum pterocarpum) and the gulmohars( Delonix regia), the Pride of India ( Lagerstroemia speciosa), the laddoo like flowers of the kadamb (Neolamarckia cadamba), the fluffy powder puff like flowers of the rain trees(Samanea saman). Such awe inspiring beauty all around us.
And what delicious fruit as well, along with a paucity of vegetables. (The summer vegetables are all very well, but if they become even a little over-ripe, the seeds in them harden and my poor father doesn't enjoy them at all.) Mangoes of all varieties, each variety taking its turn as summer marches on, litchis, musk melons, water melons, cherries, plums and peaches- the hotter the summer, the sweeter the fruit. And late summer brings that most strange and wonderful fruit- the jamun!


This year, though, I can't treat the weather with my customary nonchalance. The humidity seems to be sucking the energy out of us all, leaving us all reeling under its impact. I drink gallons of water, and feel bloated, but the thirst is rarely relieved. We had some rain a few nights ago, but by the next morning we were back to sweltering. There is talk of yet another week's delay in the monsoon.

I am seriously thinking of installing an air conditioner in the kitchen. Then perhaps I will be a cool cook. Right now I think we should all live on chilled liquids only, those too prepared by someone else.

How about a virtual rain dance on the blogosphere? It might work. And I'd better start playing all my Megh and Malhar recordings- they should do the trick.

Garjat barsat saawan aayo re......

Megh shyam ghan shyam, shyam rang ghan chaayo,
Baadal ke roop shyam, prem rang barsaayo.

Umad ghumad ghan garjo re....

I'm feeling cooler already!

23 comments:

Rohini said...

It finally, FINALLY drizzled in Mumbai. But it was meagre stuff and has just upped the humidity instead of cutting the heat :(

Era said...

I hope the monsoon comes soon. It rained here for a couple of weeks and it was great. Now it's dry again. If it does rain, the sun comes out so bright that all moisture just evaporates as if it had never rained.

Mamma mia! Me a mamma? said...

The sky looks overcast this morning. Dare we hope...?

Mystic Margarita said...

My mom amd mil have been telling me how hot and humid it's been in Kolkata. Doing a vitrual rain dance right now with Popol and keeping fingers crossed :)

Preeti Aghalayam aka kbpm said...

i had not even thought of these nice things that summer brings! thanks!

SUR NOTES said...

i taught sanah to sing all megh de, it drizzled. should teach her more stuff!

and soon those lovely summer flowers and fruit will be gone.

D said...

I think I'm going to melt very soon. Even the flowers are wilting now :(

Ron said...

I called up my aunt in Calcutta the other day and asked her what she was doing. She said she finished cooking, had her third bath of the morning and was sitting and contemplating bitterly why human beings needed to eat thrice a day.

I say to you what I said to her...move to Bangalore. Its lovely here...ok ok don't throw things at me, Im going away :D

starry-eyed said...

Seconding your idea of living on only chilled fluids in summer...Div had cottoned on to that and kept offering me ice water whenever I got grouchy:)

With this much moaning from the blogosphere...it will rain...soon:D Till then, chill!!!!

Sue said...

They say it'll rain this week. On Wednesday. Maybe if we're all very good girls it will. *sigh*

Sue said...

*throws a bottle of water at Ron*

AMIT said...

Its the season weather of rain here hope it arrives today.

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Mampi said...

WHat a cool invitation.
I have made some aam pana, in fact I am specialising in making it-while dripping of course.
I wish I could invite you over to have it.

Shaan said...

I can imagine the heat :) Herez a small prayer for thunder showers and pleasant weather!

Banno said...

That vision of you dripping all over. The Melting WoMan. But I've been doing it as well. It's a nightmare going out, one looks like a frightful .... drip.

dipali said...

@everyone: Thanks for the prayers for rain and the rain dances! It rained yesterday afternoon for about forty minutes.
Though I do hear that it only rained in some parts of the city.
@ron: Welcome here. I'd love to move to Bengaluru: please arrange a decent job for my breadwinner:)
@sur: sooner or later, the music does work! Good lesson for the little one, methinks:)
@banno: You said it- that's what I look like all day- a big DRIP:(
@Sue: Ghee-shakkar for you- it did rain on Wednesday:)
@kbpm: Like everything else, summer has its good side:)Even if I'm dripping to bits!
@mampi: aam panna is great-Yenjoy:)
@shaan:Thanks and welcome here!

Sue said...

LOL! You know what we need to do to celebrate? We need to go out to lunch. ;)

Mom Gone Mad said...

Funny - we're sitting here in the upper reaches of the Northern hemisphere sun worshipping and singing, "Rain rain, stay away":-)

And elsewhere its a different story:-)

I love your description on the trees.. makes me want to inhale and exhale deeply:-)

dipali said...

@Sue: It's a date!
@mom gone mad: Yes, it's strange how the climate makes cultures view rain so differently! We have our amazing monsoon ragas, and the lighter forms like kajri and jhoola, all celebrating the rain, while the western world tells the rain to go away.
I don't know when I became a tree freak, but I certainly am one now.
This particular link will tell you how weird I am about trees:
http://dipalitaneja.blogspot.com/2007/11/rather-weird-traveller.html

Unknown said...

Guess your rain song did its work !

dipali said...

@eve's lungs: I think sustained megh malhars are required- I'm a big drip again:(

bird's eye view said...

it's crazy humid here too, but no sign of rain. BTW have you heard this crazy old hindi song: lapak jhapak tu aa re badarwa? it's a hoot!

dipali said...

@bird's eye view: That's a lovely song! I love the imagery- telling the cloud "terey ghadey mein paani nahin toh panghat se bahr la!"
And David, who sings this in the film 'Boot Polish', has a shiny bald pate, so these lines are also very apt-
'sar ki kheti sookh rahi hai'