The first drop that falls

There are very few things in life that make me feel relieved. Meeting cancelled at the last minute? Sure. Travel plans cancelled at last minute? Wonderful. Guests who I don't like cancelling their visit? Thank God. When you return to your home after a long trip and can use the washroom at home? Super.

This summer felt cursed, never have I ever seen so much heat in my 28 years of being alive. Last year, I used to turn on the AC for 2-3 hours and then turn it off, you could survive the next 2 hours without the AC, easily, because the coolness lingered for some time. This time, the AC was working 24/7 non stop, and sometimes even it got exhausted of the heat. You could not go out of the house in the evening too. The day's heat lingered long after sunset, refusing to leave. Even nights were hot. We did not touch the water in the taps in the afternoon, as the water was boiling hot. Something was not right this time.

I started wearing sleeveless garments. I have never done that, ever in my life. I started drinking a lot more water. I sometimes took bath two times a day just to cool down. I started watching reels of places with snow. Reels of people shovelling snow, people skiing, penguins swimming, people doing ice bucket challenges, it was refreshing.

It was the sort of heat that made you run back indoors after a few minutes and question every life choice that brought you outside. But why was it so much this time? A lot of people say El Nino, some other factors, some say no tree coverage, some blame data centres smh, etc.

I agree that our urban infra is bad and it doesn't let the heat escape in the evening.

I am not entirely convinced that tree cover alone explains it. I live in a large society with abundant trees and open spaces, yet the heat still felt relentless. The highest building is of 3 floors, and buildings have a lot of space, so I am not able to get on the bus of less tree coverage. Has the forest coverage decreased? Yes. Will it effect our cities? Yes. But it has to do with poor urban planning. You shoot yourself in the foot and then complain about how there wasn't any instruction as to "do not shoot yourself in the foot".

As India urbanises at a faster pace, trees will be cut to make space for humans. More humans means more need for public transport, that means trees will be cut for building metros.

Heat also effects our crop cycles and yield, that is also a problem. One bad summer and the cycle gets disturbed. The vegetable prices become out of control. I think we will feel the effects of this summer next year, I hope it will be cushioned somehow. We are a growing country, things effect us more.

Anyway, back to how I was relieved when the rain came. Rainy season is not my favourite, there is water everywhere and my chappal gets wet and then my feet get wet and I don't like wet feet. But this rain has brought great relief, the heat is gone, the surfaces are cool. The Earth is also relieved, the soil has cooled down. All creatures are happy. People are not having their stomach upset due to heat. Clothes aren't turning into crisps. Data Centres aren't overheating. My mobile isn't over heating. Amazing!

I went out on my two-wheeler to buy bread and milk, and the cool air hit my face. It was bliss. The sound of water splitting beneath my tyres was a melody. The smell of petrichor hung in the air. Somewhere between the puddles, the breeze, and the scent of wet earth, I fell in love with the rain again. After a summer like this, it didn't feel like weather. It felt like mercy. I thanked Lord Indra for his help.