Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Chitra
Summer is here. And you wouldn’t even know it ‘coz it is like the season of the monsoons! This year, south India has had the wettest March in 133 years! It is 10 months since I wrote about the Summer of ‘07. And now to see something so completely opposite is almost surreal. It has been like this for 3 weeks now. It is cloudy for the most part, then there are drizzles in the late afternoons and rains at night. The mornings are misty and the Sun is not shining hard on us like how it should it April. I am happy because the temps are very pleasant, but the unseasonal rains are causing havoc. A lot of the crops are destroyed, the farmers are in doldrums and we see that the fruits are expensive. I haven’t seen many jackfruits yet. Last year, they were here in March! The watermelons have not been tasting good at all. The papayas have been mediocre! While I hate the high summer temps, it is still best when things are the way they should be. At least, it would have been easier on the farmers.
On the home front, it is like the kids are home for a small break and not really for the summer holidays. 
But 2 months is really not too long a time. When I was younger, it seemed like the summer vacation would last forever. I distinctly remember awaiting the hols with the knowing that school would be closed forever! But now, even a year seems to pass in a jiffy! It was exactly a year ago that we were getting ready for our daughter to start her LKG and now she is out and will be into UKG. The passing of time, the less said the better.
Awaiting Sunshine!
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Filed under: sun, unseasonal, Rains, Bangalore
Posted on April 1st, 2008 by Chitra
I know of an old couple who live by themselves in a typical Bangalore neighborhood. I will call them uncle Y and aunty U. Uncle Y is 80 now and aunty U is 70! And in spite of aunty’s occasional health scares, the two of them managed to take care of their own affairs and lived a fairly peaceful life. Their son’s family and daughter’s family lived nearby and they had them to rely on in times of need.
Uncle Y had no health complaints in particular. He used to go for his walks, run small errands like getting milk, do small grocery shopping etc. One morning, he was on his usual walk to get milk from the dairy. He was about half a kilometer from home, when he passed by a cow. Now, if you are familiar with Bangalore, you will know that animals are not rare on Bangalore roads and we have dogs, cows, chicks, etc. That fateful morning, as he walked on his usual morning route, past the local fruit stall, a cow suddenly gave him a whack with its tail and one of its hind legs. Uncle Y lost his balance and went to the ground in a sitting position. It wasn’t too bad and he managed to somehow get a grip and stand up. The same cow, for some weird reason, decided to give him another push. This time he wasn’t too lucky. He fell down and didn’t manage to get up at all. The fruit stall owner and a doc who was passing by at that time managed to lift him off the ground and get him home in the doc’s car. Poor uncle Y has been through a lot since that fateful morning. He has been in and out of the hospital a few times, once for a surgery and then a few visits for follow-ups. The docs are sounding hopeful of his ability to walk again. But uncle Y is completely shattered. He is in immense pain and is at best able to hobble to the bathroom that is 2 steps away from his bed with the help of a walker. He can just about sit-up. And can’t bathe etc. His current hope is to not end up bed-ridden. At 80, for having been fairly healthy, and for no fault of his, he is paying a huge price. Not to mention the hospital bills!
To top it, he is one of the nicest people I know. The things that happen! I truly hope that uncle Y will be able to walk again and go on to live a few more fruitful years.
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Filed under: senior citizens, bangalore living, living, roads, Chitra, Life, Bangalore
