October Heat

Gosh.

When I came to Assam in June, the people I met never missed out on talking about the weather. How it rains all the time, how the winters are mild, but most importantly, how the summers only last from May to August. Well, it’s October now, and summer still seems to hold as tight a grip on this place as there can be. The sun beats down like it’s a million miles closer that it should be, the wind is close to dead, and the humidity makes sure your clothes are drenched if you step out during the day for as little as five minutes. Indoors too, there’s not much respite. I struggle to keep a single layer of clothing on my skin, that too thanks to civilized life.

People say the Delhi summer is unrelenting. Quite true if you’re out building flyovers at noon, but the wind and the lower humidity levels give some kind of a consolation, at least. Nights are windy and, despite the mosquitoes, quite comfortable. Here, even the nights are suffocating.

Come to think of it though, the weather does have an advantage: my lazy just-out-of-college self has been transformed into a regular and punctual office-goer, thanks to the heaven-like comfort of the workspace. And in fact, this is a nice place if you ignored the weather: nice people, a lot of greenery, near-zero pollution levels (the sky here is actually blue, in contrast to the Delhi sky which is grey due to the smoke), and a relaxed, no-frills lifestyle. And if you learnt to ignore the weather, you’ll end up going to the club (gymnasium, tennis-baddie-squash courts, swimming pools, golf course et al) which really is a nice place to have fun and socialize.

Seems like I’ll have to learn to ignore the flip sides of life and get on with things. So, well, I simply hate the weather, but I’m liking this place.