Sweaters in May

 Bengaluru recently went through a May-December romance. Now it has nothing to do with what a Mills and Boon novel has to offer, but it is about the freak weather this year. In May we were experiencing a December-like chill, forcing us to take out the sweaters and jackets that were mothballed a barely a month or two ago.

May began from what April had left off – sweltering afternoons with some relief during nights. Fans and air conditioners were sweating it out throughout the day. Those venturing out in afternoons were even witnessing mirages, something associated with more arid climes.

This continued for nearly a week and then Cyclone Asani happened in the distant Bay of Bengal. The cyclonic formation brought rain clouds to Bangalore. People cheered as it was a harbinger of some glad tidings.  Soon one started feeling the cool breeze and the vague smell of petrichor. This was followed by thunder and lightning and the skies opened up.

Pre-monsoon showers are not uncommon in Bengaluru. They are often referred to as ‘mango rains’ as they help in the flowering of mangoes and keep the mercury levels within limits.

But this year something unusual happened. The rains just did not just bring respite from the heat, it also ensured that the mercury dropped drastically and the maximum temperature plunged by 9 degrees Celsius on May 10. It was the lowest in this century.

Showers became a regular feature every evening, while the days continued to swelter. Social media was awash with memes of Bengaluru having three seasons in a day – summer after 10 am, monsoon in the evening, and winter at night.

Bengaluru Twitter began proudly flaunting the screenshots of live temperatures and boasting how they were even cooler than various hill stations in India. The reactions it evoked were sharp – ranging from admiration to envy/hostility, especially from our countrymen up north, where the maximum temperature refuses to come below 40 degrees Celsius.

The weathermen explained this bountiful wet spell to two cyclonic circulations – one off Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal and the other near Lakshadweep Islands.

However, it also exposed the city’s infrastructure fault lines. It showed that a mere half-an-hour shower was enough to bring the city’s roads to their knees, and fill the underpasses with waist-high water. Many low-lying areas got inundated and drains were clogged on almost every street.

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Sakkath Hot Numbers Game

Bengalureans are now obsessed with the new numbers game and are sweating it out with gusto. No its not something as insipid as sudoku or the cricket scores, it is something far more 'mercurial' and also brings in lots of heat and dust in its wake. 

This season the city was up and running in the 'heats' stage itself with the mercury touching 35.5 degrees Celsius on February 22, and even night temperatures offered little relief, as they too were 3-4 degrees above normal. The tempo continued, thanks to the elusive Mango showers, which played truant like Bangalore’s very own king of good times – Vijay Mallya.

Studies reveal that in first decade of 21st century the city lost 76% of vegetation cover (which got replaced by concrete cover) and suffered a 79% decline in water bodies, which is now taking its toll on its much vaunted salubrious weather.

Right now the much sought after magical figure is 40 and though the current 37ish may be good enough, we have even bested many of our rival cities - notably Chennai, but the yeh dil maange more craving persists.

The antennae of the city's start ups have sensed a huge market and they are installing small automatic weather stations across the city to record temperature and other data on a hyper local basis. Hence now we get to know which is warmer - Jayanagar or Hebbal, where your armpits are bound to sweat more – Koramangala or nearby Madiwala, all on your smartphone screens.  

The other day weather app guys jumped the gun and announced that we have indeed achieved the nirvana (40 degrees), only to be scotched by weathermen from Indian Meteorological Department, who said not yet. Hence amid beads of sweat the wait continues over copious amounts of tender coconut water, fresh juices and not to forget the staple drink of this pub city - which helps us see the big 'pitcher'!

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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.

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