When one thinks of summer, the first thing that comes to mind is the heat, the hot sun, sweat pouring down as one goes about with their daily chores. An annoying temperament but one has to do what one has to. Of course, the AC being there or not being there has nothing to do with it. The heat gets to you nevertheless. Although I must say, before I had one installed it was absolutely roasting in my house and I was constantly sweating. That’s when my friend told me to check out One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning here! By installing an air conditioner, you can achieve more comfortable room temperatures. However, my friend also said that using my air conditioner every night might mean that I need to consider getting it maintained more regularly. Apparently, companies like CJS Heating and Air (https://cjsheatingandair.com/dayton/) can be called upon for maintenance work, allowing you to survive those summer temperatures. After following her advice, I was saved, but as I said the heat gets to you either way. This is the scene at most places in the temperate and tropical zones. The degrees in the temperature are always on the rise threatening to break the previous records.
One could evade the heat by escaping to cold places but for how long? The summer isn’t going to go away anytime soon. And then one remembers some of those many philosophies of life that keep circulating in mind.
Face it, fight it and learn to adapt. Remember, your ancestors too survived the heat, that too, without electricity or electrical means.
True, but the Earth was greener, cooler as there was hardly any pollution. Summer nights would be spent outside under billions of stars that were visible clearly as there would be no citylights in the horizon to hide them in the night sky. Dozing off under a starlit night sky with a soothing cool breeze that would lull one to sleep after a hard hot day, is a privilege that today’s generation hardly knows about.
Oh did I mention the frequent power cuts that occur here during the summers? It’s like nature and the electricity department conspiring against us, hand in hand! As if the sweltering heat was not enough, that the electricity too had to bid adieu for a good few hours! Here, backup generators are a must, especially in areas where blackouts are a regular occurrence. A generator installation is usually seen in houses that are on the better end of the economic spectrum here. The summer nights are usually too hot without a fan and thus, it is considered a boon in disguise for the individuals who own one.
But then, there are still some summer delights that would make you forget that heat for just a while and make bearing these hot summers worthwhile.
At the very onset of the summer season, the roadsides fill up with sellers selling this big but smooth rock like things. No priz
es for guessing what these are for the thought of these fruits make one’s mouth water in no time. Of course it is the watery Water Melon, with its hard green exterior, but delicate, sweet water filled red soft interior that quench one’s thirst and fill up the stomach in no time. This cool fruity wonder is a must have on a hot day.
If you are in the southern part of India, one cannot avoid a fresh flowery fragrance emanating from different corners in the evenings. It is t
he season of the mogra flowers (Jasminum sambac) also called mallepuvvu in Telugu or malligaipoo in Tamil. These beautiful white flowers with a strong fragrance is a favourite among all. Summers are the best time for these flowers to bloom. One can find them in abundance in the markets, either loose or tied in garlands, ready to adorn the deities and/or eagerly decorated on the hair of females, irrespective of the length of the hair, irrespective of the age of the female.
And no matter where you are, one delight that cannot be missed are these wonders in yellow, the king of the fruits, the del
icious, the luscious, the gobble-up-as-much-as-you-can fruits, the one and only mangoes. There are variety of mango species one can choose to eat. Though the Alphonso is said to be the king of mangoes, being a South Indian, my taste buds yearn for the local variety, i.e. Banganapalli mangoes. Originating from a town with the same name in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, these mango varieties are the most sought after in South India.
These delights are my most favourite. But apart from these three, nature offers many other summer delights in the form of fruits, flowers, cool summer breeze during the evenings. ACs, icecreams, cool drinks might make bearing summer easier. But without these natural delights, summers are just not enjoyable.
enjoyed the posta lot durga di.. now am missing indian summer and all the problems with it.. the electricity would go leaving us hot.. but we would spend hours outside under the stars using a rolled up newspaper as a fan.. and then afternoons I would be on the look out for the icecream trolleys.. i wanted the orange candy.. can smell the mogra flowers all the way here.. thank you
Thanks Rhea. Oh yes, the current cuts still on. But thanks to the invertors there is some respite. And the number of things we would use as fans – from plastic fans, newspapers, files, books when in school – any flat thing that could be held by the hand would do. 😀 Bless those ice cream vendors who would venture out on the hot afternoon just to provide these delights to young and old ones. Yes, orange has always been popular.
We call the mogra flowers, ‘mullapoovu’. Ha, the fragrance of the traditional ones! And yes summer is when they bloom, and we would pluck them, the buds that are just opening in the evening. The good old days! Can’t remember the last time I wore them in my hair.
Hi Kizh. Mmm mulla poovu, not much different from the names I know. Thanks for the info. I agree, in the evenings when the buds just start to bloom, the fragrance fills up the place, bringing a fresh, happy feel to the mind. Ok, the next time you come home, make sure it’s summer. 🙂