"Winter is on the way out", said a colleague, eying my t-shirt that served as a sweater as well.
"Is it?" I said.
It certainly is a pity and it is true, winter is on the way out, it is mid-feb and spring is in the air all around us, and everyone thinks twice before reaching out for their woollen. But I certainly love clinging to the warm winter wear that was so much part of me for the past four months.
This year winter just crash landed on us with Diwali. I guess every year it happens thus and Diwali is the indicator for the season to change lanes. I was away for a couple of days during the holidays, visiting the warmer zones of the world like Chennai. When I returned home, it was already freezing cold - well, almost. I remembered then I had not pulled out my sweaters and blankets out of the deepest, darkest corners of the house and aired them for use.
Winter in Bangalore was not confined to three or four months a year, as is elsewhere. Till a few years ago, the only summer Bangalore knew was when the sun peeps out from the sky during the months of March to May, making the temperature mildly warm enough so that people did not wear thick woollens during the day. In short, the season was the coolest summer I had ever encountered.
Sadly enough, the situation is not the same now. What with the increasing traffic and global warming and what not, even the coldest winter has sunshine that makes you want to throw your woollens to the farthest confines of the universe before pulling them back in affectionately when the dusk falls. The climate reminds one of the desert. Hottest in the daytime and coldest at night. And wind that chills your bones.
And summer is dry and hottttt.
The last week of January this year was suddenly warm, it led me to deplore that winter is over early. However a week later, temperature dipped again to my comfort. When I lamented that winter seems to be over so early to my friend, she said, "Haven't you had enough of winter? Three months of winter isn't good enough for you?"
I had forgotten that she had breathing trouble whenever winter falls in Bangalore. That is one of the saddest part of life in Bangalore. Every other person seems to be suffering from wheezing. Another friend who has been struggling with asthma for several years says, "I love summers!"
A doctor once mentioned to me, "The climate in Bangalore is of an allergic nature. When you travel in train towards Bangalore you will know exactly when the border is crossed, because all around you everyone will start sneezing and coughing."
I love Bangalore, nevertheless. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in winter - or at any other time!
