"Mercury is soaring!" "The dog days of summer are here," etc., seem trite, yet expressive enough. I'll stick to keeping it simple - "It is %#&@*%# HOT here!" Perhaps that explains the silence on my blog for a while. I have been sapped of ideas and drained of words - not to mention that I really prefer to sit in the a/c cool (Rajani's lingo) and do nothing!!
I'll tell you something else that tells you how bad it is: we are considering installing fans in the bathrooms. Why, you ask? (It is not that unusual in Chennai to have fans fitted in bathrooms) Leisurely as my time in there usually is, and seldom is any strain involved, I am drenched to the bones by the time I am through - and I am not talking about taking a shower! Women who have travelled to India in summer can relate when I say what a struggle it is to put on that close-to-the-skin blouse after I have towelled myself dry, and powdered myself like I would a baby's bottom!
On the right is a picture of a bird bath that we set up on the back compound wall of our apartment building to water birds, squirrels, and passing monkeys.Entire apartments are rarely air-conditioned (room air-cons are the way to go here, and now, the split a/c is ubiquitous in all the new flats. Bedrooms are typically cooled, and in some cases, the living/dining rooms. Split units have their compressors located on the outside for quiet operation, while the large blower/thermostat unit, on the inside wall, is still as unattractive as ever), and the famous Chennai sea breeze doesn't set in till mid to late afternoon, making the time between 10 a.m and 3 p.m a struggle, and a sweaty one at that! The gas stove in the kitchen puts out enormous heat, so as if cooking weren't a chore in itself, it makes it all the more unattractive.
Mangoes, Mangoes everywhere!
Akbar still enjoys his late evening walks to the watermelon stand, which is now a mango stand. He used to eagerly wait to receive the green rinds after Rajani and I were finished with the red and pink parts. We did not think he favored mangoes as much as he did watermelon, but that was before the arrival of one variety called Imam Pasand= Imam's favorite, (the same Imam as in the North African Imam Baldi = Imam fainted, I wonder?) which, in our home, has been renamed Akbar Pasand. After all, we thought, there was the whole skin business, and the matter of the large seed, and the additional matter of the size - the Imam pasand is large enough to fit in to a pair of cupped palms. In all fairness, does Akbar not deserve to enjoy all the Chennai has to offer? He has become such a connoisseur of the finest mangoes, that if the pavement vendor does not stack an pile of Imam pasand, we sniff briefly, and walk right on! (No vendor has ever offered him one. The damaged ones are saved for the monkeys that hang in the branches above, for, unlike Akbar, they will not politely wait to be offered one.)
During all our visits to the India in June and July, we always felt that the jasmines and mangoes adequately made up for the physical discomfort caused by temperature and humidity. I dare to go on record to say that May does not! The other uncomfortable thought that I've been having since the US made a trade agreement with India to dump Harley Davidsons on Indian roads, in return for Indian mangoes in US grocery stores, is that we are not getting the best mangoes in Chennai anymore!!! The alphonso was barely OK, the peethars were decent, the Akbar Pasand - well, at least Akbar liked them, the Banganapallis are definitely not ready yet, and the famous Salem Malgova mango is far too fibrous this year. Are they any better over there?
The new concern that one reads in the papers is the harmful effects of the ripening agent - Calcium Carbide. It is considered toxic, and people are beginning to feel its effects - respiratory problems, rashes on the skin, itchy eyes, and other not-so-fun stuff. The US had been very concerned about importing Indian mangoes for their excessive exposure to pesticides, and banning the use of certain chemicals was part of the agreement. I find a dark, pebble like piece tucked in to my dozen bananas every now and then. Referred to simply as kal = stone by farmers and local vendors, this insidious chemical is making its way into the Indian body. With an exploding consumer base, and millions of them further away from the food source, the need for transportation, preservation, and in order to supply every kind of vegetable and fruit all through the year, Indian farmers and the retail industry will use whatever it takes to, speaking literally, put food on the table. While old organic ways are being given up, the products of the new organic movement are not accessible or affordable to everyone yet.
In the meanwhile, we will gorge on the artificially ripened mangoes from around India, apples from New Zealand, and pears from China.Four wheels no more!
For Rajani, the only summer homework from Sudha Aunty, was to learn to ride the bicycle without training wheels. And, we are happy to report that in the last couple of weeks, she has made great progress. I am putting up a 30-second video (biker_dudette.mpg) of which 20 seconds are her trying to push off! It was shot in the parking area of our apartment building. You'll have glimpses of Akbar and Ramesh, as well. Enjoy!
On May Day, Rajani and I took the metro train from the still-being built Indira Nagar station (one of the many edifices around Chennai, designed to fatten the wallets of the building contractor) to the terminus, at the Beach Station. Needless to say, it was terribly exciting - for both of us! 
On the right, getting know Grand Aunt Ganga, on Ramesh's side, and cousins.
I'll leave you with another Dheekshithar composition - Vande Meenakshi, that she recently mastered, and a couple of sarali varisais = scales, per Ranjani's request. Music lessons are taking a summer break too, as her teacher is involved in a 3-week house-painting project. And school reopens on the 5th of June with my little girl going to 2nd grade!!!
After finally locating a good caregiver for Akbar, we were able to join my sister and her husband on a road trip to Kodaikanal, in the salubrious hills of Tamil Nadu state. My observations on the National Highway project, highway driving in India, and holidaying with the masses in my next post, which, I promise, will come up soon!
Those of you who might enjoy a pictorial blog, I would like to recommend Rauf's whitesroad.blogspot.com, Ramesh's photographer friend. Rauf takes amazing pictures - of his professional and personal travel photographs of India. Enjoy.
Keep those comments coming - on and off the blog. Thank you for visiting. Ta Ta!
