Ode to Winter
The air-conditioner in the office is back to work again! The windows have been closed, secured fast and every morning one has this extra bit of work-switch on the air-conditioner the moment one enters the room!
It is with a bit of a heavy heart that a Calcuttan bids adieu to the winter. Having stayed for eight years in this place has made me develop a sort of nostalgia for the winter months in Calcutta. Winter is associated with picnics, parties and a time to remain outdoors. The Bengali has always been known as a bit of a traveller and come winter, it is time for him to connect with friends and family members and head for the lakes, villages, resorts, or some other scenic place outside the city. If its not picnic, there’s a lot many fairs and carnivals that take roots in the open spaces and parks of the city. The people seem happy to be able to soak up some sun for a brief period without fear of getting bathed in sweat.
Summer in Calcutta is associated with sweat and humidity that plays havoc with one’s energy levels. As the heat begins to sap the energy, one feels lethargic, bored, sleepy and just doesn’t want to move from the spot below the rotating fan. It is probably this aspect of the summer in Calcutta that makes summer so much unpopular to the Calcuttan.
To me, personally, winter is all about colour and small joys of life. The normally boring clothes of men also assume a bit of colour, thanks to the ties of different colour that one can flaunt in the winter months. Normally men’s clothes worn to office are boring…trousers of a sombre hue paired with a shirt that is either white or of a paler shade. The paler shades of cotton also help to keep the heat down in the harshest of Calcutta summer. The summer heat in Calcutta is such that a few minutes in the open sun would cause the sweat to stream out from every pore in the body and drench the clothes. The drenched clothes would then stick to the body causing immense discomfort. In contrast, winter means looking fresh and smart with that tie peeping out of the jacket. I just love ties. The feel of silk against the palm is a feeling akin to caressing one’s beloved. The colours and the patterns attract the attention of the others while diverting the attention from those not so displayable parts of a man’s anatomy. The ritual of matching the colour of the tie to the shirt every morning during the winter months, make me excited. White shirts are more in demand as a neutral base provides a greater flexibility of selection of the tie. If there is a meeting where there is every possibility of the boss getting into a foul mood, it is best to choose a tie of darker hue and with traditional patterns. On the contrary if one is scheduled to make a presentation, it is probably better to go for a bold colour and design to make an attempt at striking a good first impression on the audience. The possibility of an evening party in a pub would make one select a tie that glows even in the dark! Then there is the jacket that provides just that wee bit of warmth necessary to keep the Calcutta chill at bay not to mention the myriad of colours of sweaters that one can see people wearing during winters. The other day I observed a teenager who was sporting a sweater that was white at the front and red at the back. The impression one got was that the person must have been standing with his back to a wall that had received a fresh paint of red paint! Even the women look fresher in the winter. Not sure whether its due to the fact that their lipsticks and face paints remain intact for a longer period than in summer when there is a chance of the same running down their face and neck with the sweat! In general probably there is a feel good factor during the winter, mainly on account of the fact that the common people are spared the irritation of having to manage one’s sweat-drenched shirt or the constant stream of sweat starting from the temples and behind the ears and running all the way down!
The winter nights are far more exciting and romantic. The blanket provides that wee bit of extra charm and warmth to kindle the sparks on certain nights. Sharing a blanket has its own charms too. While even a small blanket seems much too large for the young and newly weds, the actual romance is in trying to grab a bigger share of the blanket’s pie as the marriage anniversaries go by. While the world outside is cold and shivering, nothing is more comfortable than trying to grab the blanket from one’s partner in the middle of the night and snuggle comfortably inside it.
Perhaps the charm of the winter lies in the week-long festivities, when one can take to the bottle of whisky like a fish to the water, without feeling any sense of guilt. Come Christmas and New Year and it’s a week long time simply meant for partying and getting oneself immersed in that nectar of life-whisky ( The spelling’s important mind you!!). No need to bother about what wifey has to say about those extra pegs or those tyres round the waist. Its time to party without bothering about anything-the whole world right from Tokyo to New York is closed and no business transactions take place.
The sweet voice of the cuckoo comes back to try and bring some joy into the depressed heart. The trees on the lanes and by-lanes of Calcutta have already started to burst forth in a myriad of colours. Its probably GOD’s way of pushing in a buffer for people to adapt to the harshness of summer. Till such time as the next winter comes back with all its promise of the good times, its good bye and au revoir…
It is with a bit of a heavy heart that a Calcuttan bids adieu to the winter. Having stayed for eight years in this place has made me develop a sort of nostalgia for the winter months in Calcutta. Winter is associated with picnics, parties and a time to remain outdoors. The Bengali has always been known as a bit of a traveller and come winter, it is time for him to connect with friends and family members and head for the lakes, villages, resorts, or some other scenic place outside the city. If its not picnic, there’s a lot many fairs and carnivals that take roots in the open spaces and parks of the city. The people seem happy to be able to soak up some sun for a brief period without fear of getting bathed in sweat.
Summer in Calcutta is associated with sweat and humidity that plays havoc with one’s energy levels. As the heat begins to sap the energy, one feels lethargic, bored, sleepy and just doesn’t want to move from the spot below the rotating fan. It is probably this aspect of the summer in Calcutta that makes summer so much unpopular to the Calcuttan.
To me, personally, winter is all about colour and small joys of life. The normally boring clothes of men also assume a bit of colour, thanks to the ties of different colour that one can flaunt in the winter months. Normally men’s clothes worn to office are boring…trousers of a sombre hue paired with a shirt that is either white or of a paler shade. The paler shades of cotton also help to keep the heat down in the harshest of Calcutta summer. The summer heat in Calcutta is such that a few minutes in the open sun would cause the sweat to stream out from every pore in the body and drench the clothes. The drenched clothes would then stick to the body causing immense discomfort. In contrast, winter means looking fresh and smart with that tie peeping out of the jacket. I just love ties. The feel of silk against the palm is a feeling akin to caressing one’s beloved. The colours and the patterns attract the attention of the others while diverting the attention from those not so displayable parts of a man’s anatomy. The ritual of matching the colour of the tie to the shirt every morning during the winter months, make me excited. White shirts are more in demand as a neutral base provides a greater flexibility of selection of the tie. If there is a meeting where there is every possibility of the boss getting into a foul mood, it is best to choose a tie of darker hue and with traditional patterns. On the contrary if one is scheduled to make a presentation, it is probably better to go for a bold colour and design to make an attempt at striking a good first impression on the audience. The possibility of an evening party in a pub would make one select a tie that glows even in the dark! Then there is the jacket that provides just that wee bit of warmth necessary to keep the Calcutta chill at bay not to mention the myriad of colours of sweaters that one can see people wearing during winters. The other day I observed a teenager who was sporting a sweater that was white at the front and red at the back. The impression one got was that the person must have been standing with his back to a wall that had received a fresh paint of red paint! Even the women look fresher in the winter. Not sure whether its due to the fact that their lipsticks and face paints remain intact for a longer period than in summer when there is a chance of the same running down their face and neck with the sweat! In general probably there is a feel good factor during the winter, mainly on account of the fact that the common people are spared the irritation of having to manage one’s sweat-drenched shirt or the constant stream of sweat starting from the temples and behind the ears and running all the way down!
The winter nights are far more exciting and romantic. The blanket provides that wee bit of extra charm and warmth to kindle the sparks on certain nights. Sharing a blanket has its own charms too. While even a small blanket seems much too large for the young and newly weds, the actual romance is in trying to grab a bigger share of the blanket’s pie as the marriage anniversaries go by. While the world outside is cold and shivering, nothing is more comfortable than trying to grab the blanket from one’s partner in the middle of the night and snuggle comfortably inside it.
Perhaps the charm of the winter lies in the week-long festivities, when one can take to the bottle of whisky like a fish to the water, without feeling any sense of guilt. Come Christmas and New Year and it’s a week long time simply meant for partying and getting oneself immersed in that nectar of life-whisky ( The spelling’s important mind you!!). No need to bother about what wifey has to say about those extra pegs or those tyres round the waist. Its time to party without bothering about anything-the whole world right from Tokyo to New York is closed and no business transactions take place.
The sweet voice of the cuckoo comes back to try and bring some joy into the depressed heart. The trees on the lanes and by-lanes of Calcutta have already started to burst forth in a myriad of colours. Its probably GOD’s way of pushing in a buffer for people to adapt to the harshness of summer. Till such time as the next winter comes back with all its promise of the good times, its good bye and au revoir…
Comments
Post a Comment