Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Hot Weather

It is yet another hot day. I just had my lunch and I am sitting in my office trying to concentrate on my work in this hot weather. Like everyday I am remembering God but that day something unusual happened.

Me: Oh God this hot weather will kill me.

God: Richa you have lost resistance to bear heat.

Me: Resistance to bear heat??? The temperature outside is 40 degrees. Inside the building the AC temperature has been maintained at 25 degrees +/- 1 just because of recession. The food court is also burning like a furnace.

God: It is not 40 degrees yet. Look at the plus point of maintaining a room temperature inside the building.

Me: Plus point of maintaining room temperature???

God: Yes plus point. You will not fall sick because of the vast difference in temperature between inside and outside the building. About the food courts being a furnace, think about the people working in Cafe Coffee Day. Or the people working in the canteen kitchen. They are making your meal without complaining about the heat they are bearing in their workplace. Remember what the CCD lady said to you when you asked her about the heat condition?

Me: She said its her job and she has to do it without complaining about the heat. But I am not the only one complaining about the heat. Few days back a person from Bangalore was asking for a cool drink delivery service at his desk.

God: You should be happy he is giving you another job option in this recession period. Imagine you start delivering a cool juice at a person’s desk and you get to earn some money. You can start with one building then when you have sufficient income you can open a chain and start providing the cold drink in other buildings.

Me: The idea looks good but it would have been better if a cold drink machine was given in every building instead of a coffee machine.

God: In this recession period when AC is switched off after 7 o’clock, you expect them to provide a cold drink machine. And I must tell you there are many who still use mud pots for having cold water. Let me think What do people call it in hindi?

Me: Mataka

God: Yes mataka. Its still used in villages and people living below poverty line in India. Its an eco-friendly thing and unfertile sand can be used to make it.

Me: And the taste of the water is also good. I remember when I was small and there was no fridge we used these mud pots. I don’t get that sweet taste of water in the fridge water.

God: Seems like that taste is still in your mind. Come with me I will take you somewhere?

Me: Where are you going to take me in this hot weather?

God: Just come with me and enjoy the things I will show you.

Me: Oh so it’s a joy ride.

God: Yes. Hold me tight and enjoy the scenes which I show you.

After some time we are on the streets.

God: Look down can you see that dog sleeping in the tree shade?

Me: Yes I can see a nice, cute street dog.

God: In this hot weather he has found a shade which is giving him relief from the hot weather. But the poor dog doesn’t know that this shade will be taken away from him someday. Now lets go to another place.

Me: With the noise I can say that this place is a school. But what has this school to do with my hot weather problem?

God: I thought that you would love to remember the school days. There is no AC in this school. Just a fan is there to keep the room cool. You know one thing in this school you can see a fan. There are schools where there is no AC or fan to keep the place cool. Why just schools; there are houses where there is nothing to make the place cool.

Me: Oh God you reminded me of my school days when in the hot weather we use to play games. Those long summer vacation when we use to run in the fields in the hot weather.

God: One more place is there after that we will return. Lets go to a village where there is no electricity. Look at that farmer working over there in the fields. If he sat in his home because of the weather then how will he have his living? In these mud houses they find their own ways of keeping the place cool.

Me: Looking at these people I feel I am in a much better place. Atleast I have a shelter and my place is cooler than the place I have seen just now. But isn’t it too early for the hot summer season to start? When I was a kid the weather was pleasant atleast till holi. Also if the temperature right now is 40 degrees then what will happen in the month of May when actually summer season is at its peak.

God: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. You people are getting back the reward for playing with nature.

Me: Reward in the kind of hot weather???

God: Earlier population was less. People could stay in caves. But after many years staying in caves became tough. Humans came with an idea of making houses to stay. They started building houses made of wood. After sometime the houses improved and humans made mud houses. Then the humans learnt to make concrete houses. Eventually the population started increasing and deforestation started. Now a days you will find concrete jungles at most places.

Me: I know technology has brought a lot of changes, I can understand what you are trying to say.

God: Technical development brought in pollution and along with it came global warming. Because of the global warming the rate at which the ice caps are melting has increased drastically. But you people have come up with idea of making artificial ice.

Me: Now you have made me wonder whether by the time my kids will grow up natural ice will be there or not.

God: I cant tell you about the future. But I can give an advice for the present. Even if humans would not have played with nature; the ice caps would have melted and earth would have kept getting hotter. As for global warming there is a tradeoff between development and global warming. One thing which is not in my hand is population growth and with population growth you cant avoid deforestation, building of houses; road construction and other technical development. Just forget everything and enjoy everyday; beat the heat.

Me: Thanks God for taking me to various places where people are living in a more bad condition than me. I will take your advice and try to beat the heat.