This summer has been hotter...

Summer is here and seems hotter than ever before. Old timers like me wonder what happened to “our Bangalore? The garden city and the lovely climate, are they going
to be just memories? Time was when we would come to Bengaluru to get away from the heat of the Deccan plateau and spend a couple of months here enjoying the weather. Houses then had no fans, no refrigerators, and certainly no air conditioners!

In places where the summer months have always been hot, people devised ways to make the heat more bearable. There were times when we had to spend the summer in Hyderabad, so arrangements were made to keep the house cool. The verandahs of our bungalow had chilmans--blinds made of bamboo slats faced with dark blue cotton material on one side. These would be rolled down in the mornings, and all the rooms opening onto the verandah were bathed in a blue light and really seemed cooler. At sunset, the blinds would be rolled up. Panels of straw and vetiver (khus) were placed between the chilmans, and when sprinkled with water, they released a pleasant, calming fragrance.

Life slowed down in the summer. Offices and schools started early and closed by midday. People spent most of the day indoors. Things came to life in the late evening. I remember the summer evenings of my childhood. It seemed we made the most of each season, trying to do what we could to make life more pleasant in circumstances we couldn’t change.

In the evening, the courtyard would be sprinkled with water to settle the dust and cool the earth. That fragrance of the wet earth was so refreshing. Seating arrangements were made with cane chairs and takhts--divans with white covers and bolsters to lean against.

Strings of jasmine would be kept on a tray. The ladies and girls would wear them in their hair, and the gentlemen would wear them on their wrists. Glasses of cold sherbet made of green mangoes or falsa, a tart crimson berry native to the Deccan and Bengal, were served before dinner, and hand-churned ice cream was served for desert. It was a time when friends and relatives dropped in and enjoyed a relaxed evening.

This was also a time for summer dinner parties at one of the mansions by the lakes: Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, Unda Sagar, and Qawwali programmes, especially during the nights when the moon was full. Everyone slept outdoors during the summer, either in the courtyard or on a terrace. There were mosquito nets on every bed. Sleep was never a problem, and we woke up refreshed! This was a time when we learned about stars, constellations, and planets.

That era is over. Life is so different now. Most people live in apartments. Fans and air conditioners keep us cool day and night.