It's a pride and status symbol for every Odia to own a house or at least an apartment in Bhubaneswar. I being a Brahmin who neither owns a house nor an apartment in the capital city of Odisha (the house where I currently live free of cost belongs to my dad) is destined to be a "BRAHMA RAKHYASA" - King of Ghosts (A Brahmin with low accomplishment in life is supposed to become a BRAHMA RAKHYASA after his death. I being a PENA (useless) or DHAIN (nincompoop) per local lingo who doesn't own anything in Bhonsar fits the bill, and well on track to become a BRAHMA RAKHYASA and scare the hell out of others.
Weather here is too hot to handle. The heat is enormous between 10 AM till sunset. It feels better when it gets windy with evaporation causing cooling. Otherwise the stifling heat and humidity occasionally makes you feel like fish out of water. Air Conditioning and occasional KALABAISAKHI summer thunderstorms has been very helpful during my stay, keeping the temperature at bay. For those who live in cooler climate, unless it's absolutely necessary it is better to travel to India during the salubrious winter months.
Many here give me unsolicited advice to be careful about PETA GARAM or the Hot Stomach Syndrome in this scorching heat. This colloquial and mysterious medical adage is blamed for every common human ailments, from constipation to cough. During childhood days in Odisha, I once had a prolonged dry cough following a bout of fever. My father took me to a prominent doctor of Bhubaneswar, who happened to be his close friend. When the self diagnostic in me told my Doc Uncle that the cause could be PETA GARAM (warmth of the belly), he simply smiled back at me while writing his prescription. His medicine fixed my cough in a few days. But it hardly shook my faith about this hot belly syndrome.
No one still knows exactly what the elusive PETA GARAM is, but drinking plenty of PAIDA PANI (coconut water) and flashing mugs of cold water on your lower belly at shower is the prescription to get rid of it. The term PETA is more famously associated with the acronym for "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals". But here, the treatments for PETA GARAM which is associated only to a species of mammal called humans, ethically flashing mugs of water on the outer surface of belly is considered as a prevention which any day is better than cure. The cause of a lingering dry cough is always blamed on that elusive PETA GARAM. In case of fever, especially during the summer, it is advised to take a bath with sprinkling less water on head, but a liberal flashing of mugs of cooler water on belly (PETA) to prevent it from going hot (GARAM).
If your Pee resembles Mustard oil in color and viscosity, it's again the symptom of legendary PETA GARAM. Shower and ablution those days were a combination of water, bucket and mugs, the fad of toilet paper was still elitist. The concept of toilet paper was as alien as aliens were to us. Toilet and paper were two separate entity, juxtaposing them was strictly fantasy in a country where in 40 degree heat and after consuming hot food, water feels a lot better than paper.
Brahmins were expected to take shower in a semi naked state to prevent their PAITA (sacred thread worn over their shoulder) from getting MAARA (spoiled). And it should involve pouring mugs of water on your belly to keep it in cool and forming a barrage against disease. It's not uncommon for me here to come out of bathroom with drenched and dipping cloth, a la male version of Mandakini, of Raj Kapoor's "Ram Teri Ganga Maili" fame. In summer such an experience is pleasant. In winter one needs to shiver for minutes before changing to dry clothing.
In our college hostel, there would be a beeline in front of the standing showers when the municipality supply water comes running at noon. The line used to be longer during the winter months as the running water was relatively warmer than the stored one.
The first couple of mugs of water would be poured over the body with a burst of latest Bollywood hit song at top of his voice. That would instantly kill the fear of cold water. The BESURA (tone and beat less) song continues as mugs of water are flashed on the belly to prevent PETA GARAM. The song slowly dies down, as the next person in line keeps knocking on the door, a terse reminder to wrap up with soaked GAMUCHA and tip toe back to your room. Not sure if those preventing measures really prevented us from common ailments. But am sure, PETA GARAM it is just another name for dehydration. By drinking plenty of water one is better off than flashing liters of cool water on the torso.
Few would be aware of Rama Chandra Mishra, the unsung but talented author of many Odia short stories who went by his pen name FATURANANDA. He was known for his wit and sarcasm laced writing whose description of minute details of human foibles was amazing - especially those related to human feelings. He was very young when he lost his eyesight, so he could never fall in love at firstsight. He described his feeling of blind love in Odia - "PETA RU GARAM PABAN BAHARI CHHATI KU KUTU KUTU KALA PARI ABHINGAYA" (Love is the feeling of a hot air emanating from the stomach and tickling your heart). I fell in love with that expression of a person who could see it without able to see anyone. Such a feeling of PETA GARAM isn't too bad.
What's the similarities between a vacation, a consulting assignment and life ? All have a start date and an end date. Like all good things in life a vacation has to come to an end. Before vacation one is rejuvenated and filled with energy. Towards the end of the trip one is jaded, somewhat depressed. There is always an inherently internal wish you had a few more days to spent. Three, four or five weeks, however long you stay it is never enough. In the wee hours of the trip it's always the endless cycle of last minute shopping, meeting friends and relatives, run errands, packing, weighing, repacking and re-weighing of luggages. Now the time has arrived to bid adieu to my motherland. Good Bye India. See you later...
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