Dwindling Mango Showers

Another scorching summer is upon us with hardly any 'mango rains' in sight. There was a wet spell in the beginning of April, but looks like it was more of a one off case than a pattern this city was once famous for. It used to get showers whenever the mercury breached the 32-33 degree Celsius mark.

The city used to bask in soothing sobriquets such as 'air-conditioned city' with tales regarding its salubrious clime spread far and wide. A couple of years back a friend from Kolkata had visited here and was quite amazed by the weather and told me "Now I know why many people who come here for work or studies settle down for good.”

Old timers who had worked at the numerous cantonments dotting the city recall that in the seventies Bangalore was considered as 'no fan' station by the army as the weather used to be too pleasant to warrant ceiling fans. For the armymen stationed here it used to be winter uniform all year long. Now AC ducts seem to have bored its way into offices and even homes.

In fact in 1990s when American technology majors came scouting for  centres for outsourcing in India, the Bangalore weather acted as a lodestone in making many of them set shop here.

Seven years back when I came to this city from Chennai (which as per a very common PJ has basically three seasons - hot, hotter and hottest) the pleasant weather at Bangalore used to make me feel languid and drowsy all the time.

Few days after coming here I was having breakfast at the now defunct Brindavan Hotel on MG Road and I overheard a native (probably a guide) explain to a backpacker foreigner couple how the city is blessed with pleasant weather and it rains whenever the temperatures cross a limit. The couple was also happily nodding in agreement. Another friend of mine, who too had stayed in Chennai, had warned me that clothes take longer time to dry up in Bangalore.

All that now seems to be from a different era. Nowadays while hitting the roads during afternoons one even gets to see mirages, something associated with more hotter and arid climes. To ward off hot sun, I see women on two-wheelers wear headscarves in a manner that would make Taliban proud. A visit to a beach resort is no longer necessary to acquire a sun tan, few hours out in the sun during afternoons is enough.

Weathermen say it is the price we are paying for rapid urbanization and the heavy toll on tree cover. This is more so on the outskirts like Whitefield, Hebbal, Sarjapur or Electronics City, where the skyline almost resembles Vashi or Gurgaon with high rise apartments, offices and spanking malls. Luckily the city centre has some huge green spaces like Cubbon Park and many cantonment  areas where the greenery is more or less intact.

With the concrete structures replacing large swathes of greenery at an alarming rate, the days of mercury hitting the 40 degrees Celsius may be round the corner.

Also Read: Random Jottings