It's rainy, and it's cold today. Very windy. It's raining cold water in the middle of November. One would think I was writing this from Seattle. But no... I am writing this from Pune. A place known for its cold, dry winters. Rain in winter means all Punekars will come out in full force to discuss how bad the weather is, how irritating the rain is, how bad the pollution is, how the climate is changing for the worse, etc., etc., etc.
All that apart...every winter gives me a different set of memories; every winter has a unique place in my heart. I remember the winter of a long, long time ago, when I was just a mite of a child. My family had to attend a wedding reception in Pune. It was a very, very cold winter evening. And we actually forgot to wear any warm clothes while going there. We had travelled in an auto-rickshaw (hardly anyone owned vehicles at the time). It was cold like hell (can't think of any other metaphor...maybe cold like Antartica?) while coming back. Mom, Dad, my sister, and I sat huddled together during the ride back home. Perhaps all of us were thinking of our warm rugs and hot milk/tea at the time. The next day we got to know that the temperature outside at that time was 4 degrees celsius! (Even 10 degrees is considered cold in Pune). An unforgettable experience.
I remember winters after winters of bicycling to school early in the morning with my fingers turning to ice. I remember my unfulfilled wishes for a winter virus, so I could miss school. (I would invariable fall sick during my summer vacations).
After school came the college and university days. I have a treasure trove of memories of the days when I had to attend lectures at 7.00 AM. I still remember the difficulties of waking up so early, and then rushing to college, hoping that I could sneak into the lecture hall without my prof noticing my late arrival. I remember the constant coffee breaks and discussions about winter every where in the world while watching other hapless souls shivering down to catch their early morning classes at the university. Magical days, magical times, magical memories.
I always associated winter with warmth - the warmth of hot coffee, the warmth of my beloved rug, the warmth of the family, of friends, of camaraderie, and of bonhomie. I experienced the first "cold" winter of my life when I went to the US. It was so cold, that it was impossible to even set foot in the balcony of our home. It was rainy, windy, cloudy, bleak, and COLD! I needed that first year to get used to the bone-aching cold. The second year I had a new baby on my hands, and could not really enjoy the winter. The third year I did enjoy. I enjoyed the cold, the rain, and yes...most of all, the snow.
And this year I am back in Pune, eager to create another wonderful winter memory for myself. I hope it gets really cold. And I hope it stops raining.
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2 comments:
Yes, I remember that 4-degree-celsius night too. It was really magical. It really has been a long time that Pune has enjoyed a good cold winter. As cold as it can get, a mug of strong coffee, night-long discussions, especially on New Year's Eve...that's what I hope we have this year! Fingers crossed!
Good one...i remembered the early morning school days on bicycle with gloves and monkey cap. In Mumbai their is hardly any winter as such but these rains have certainly made the weather slightly chilly.
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