The weather today in Bhubaneswar was unusually warm for winter. Or may be not so unusual, rather it's the new normal. Reminds me of the winters in Bhubaneswar from my childhood. At dinner time, I would arrive wrapped in a shawl and pick a piece of hot cauliflower (only available for couple of months in winter) from the curry bowl, followed by blowing air with snorted lips to cool it down before munching. No sooner than I finish a couple, than the rest cauliflower stems would get cold. We could feel the pinch of winter. Now approaching mid December, old man winter is out of sight and soon will be out of mind.
The cloudy day progressed, interspersed with light drizzle. It didn't rain cats and dogs, but was enough to give the soil a brownish hue. Standing on our balcony inhaled the sweet smell of wafting from the dry ground drenched by fresh showers. It's perfume can beat the best of French perfumes by miles.
Intermittent light drizzle continued through out the day, enough to make the ground wet and temporarily shut down the spread of dust. It was accompanied by an announced power shut down (electricity outage) between 8 AM to 5 PM. The reason can hadly be weather related. Though overcast and balmy, it was free from any strong wind or rain to cause a power outage for 9 hours. The authorities insist it's due to maintenance related works. My father told me that such power cuts are pretty common in our locality, they are doing repair works way too often for comfort.
A day of a weekend without power may be okay in winter time in the "Smart" city, but may not be so smart decision during the summer. It reminded me of my ordeal on a day in the summer of 2014, when mercury stood at a cool 45 degree (115 F). On that day I rushed back home at noon for a shower to cool down. Before I could switch on the motor to fill up our overhead water the electricity went poof.
For 4 hour no power; no toilet no shower. Felt like a fish out of water, lying supine on hot bed getting barbecued. At 5 PM, still no sign of electricity as promised. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over me, I could have been a great grill. Another couple of hours I could have become a SUKHUA or dried fish, an Odia delicacy. Hopefully no more power cuts for the rest of the day.
The cloudy day progressed, interspersed with light drizzle. It didn't rain cats and dogs, but was enough to give the soil a brownish hue. Standing on our balcony inhaled the sweet smell of wafting from the dry ground drenched by fresh showers. It's perfume can beat the best of French perfumes by miles.
Intermittent light drizzle continued through out the day, enough to make the ground wet and temporarily shut down the spread of dust. It was accompanied by an announced power shut down (electricity outage) between 8 AM to 5 PM. The reason can hadly be weather related. Though overcast and balmy, it was free from any strong wind or rain to cause a power outage for 9 hours. The authorities insist it's due to maintenance related works. My father told me that such power cuts are pretty common in our locality, they are doing repair works way too often for comfort.
A day of a weekend without power may be okay in winter time in the "Smart" city, but may not be so smart decision during the summer. It reminded me of my ordeal on a day in the summer of 2014, when mercury stood at a cool 45 degree (115 F). On that day I rushed back home at noon for a shower to cool down. Before I could switch on the motor to fill up our overhead water the electricity went poof.
For 4 hour no power; no toilet no shower. Felt like a fish out of water, lying supine on hot bed getting barbecued. At 5 PM, still no sign of electricity as promised. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over me, I could have been a great grill. Another couple of hours I could have become a SUKHUA or dried fish, an Odia delicacy. Hopefully no more power cuts for the rest of the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment