By Nazima Parveen
The month of April was unusually hot and unbearable this year ie., 2024….Some attributed it to global warming…some others to GE. Americans! you needn’t frown, I just meant “The General Elections 2024”in India. The heat did not spare my islands too. But then the climate is almost constant here round the year. Hot and sultry! I wonder if it has anything to do with the proximity to the equator or is it because these islands are home to hot legends like me. I would like to consider the latter.
The pre-summer-vacation session of the schools were functioning as usual. The schools generally close for summer vacations by 27th April every year. But since the heat was rising, it must have affected the brains of the Administrators and so they decided to close the schools from 2nd May, 2024. Thanks to the prompt action by the Education department, they issued a circular on 29th April, 2024, Friday in the evening that the schools need not have morning assembly in the open and that games and PT may be deferred until the school reopens. The circular did save the kids from the heat, on 1st May, 2024 at least.
With the rising heat, the water level in the solo reservoir of Port Blair, the Dhanikhari Dam was affected too. The water supply was rationed to once in 3 days. Many islanders were thankful for that too. At least it is not once in 7 days like last year, said one of them. That’s the beauty of my people… always contended and happy and gracefully accept anything that life has to offer to them.
The month of May, 2024 appeared to be constipated. The first week of May had shades of gray clouds in the sky. Each one of us would look up and be prepared to welcome the rain any moment. I dusted my umbrella and kept it handy in my car. I was happy I could save my car washing expenses now. I even kept my cotton clothes aside and took out the ones that I have kept only for rainy days. However, I forgot that it was election season and not rainy season. It was the season of “false promises”. The clouds just did not want to go against the trend. It was as though it was trying to rain but it just couldn’t. Very much Constipated! I would like to say.
With the election heat, the social media was unusually active trying to make people aware of the future of the country, their rights, their duties etc etc. While some dismissed the idea and continued to remain unaffected by their surroundings, some others felt its time for a change, it’s the “Time of Awakening”. I guess the clouds realised it too. The dark clouds parted and torrents of rain poured down. I jumped with joy. So did my car.
It was weekend. I happily took some rain water in a bucket and went to clean my washroom with surf. I was so happy that I generously used the surf, secretly wishing a pat on my back later by my mom for the spic and span washroom. But before I could wash the washroom, my secret wish itself was washed away. BANG! I slipped and my face hit the floor. My lip was hurting…I somehow crawled and dragged myself out of the washroom. I ran to my mom and got nice scoldings for using surf to clean the washroom and that too generously. Later I checked my face in the mirror. There were bruises around my lips. My lips were swollen. Oh, I had a natural pout! I exclaimed…Very much like Angelina Jolie. I was an islander after all, happy and contended and gracefully accept anything that life has to offer. I smiled and opened the window to hear the sounds of pitter-patter.