Hindustan Hamara

It’s first of June and look at the weather!! The early morning sky welcomed with thunder and it has been pitter patter pitter patter since then. June has always been associated (in the North) with sweltering heat, dust storm (haneri), piercing loo and no hope of rain till time takes us to July. I recall how we used to sit under a shady mango or shisham tree to identifying old age pensioners, or holding Panchayat land auctions (in 1989-90) or distributing 'olavirshti relief' in 2002. Awfully hot afternoons with no electricity in villages can be quite an experience to remember for not all the good reasons. When I completed my post grad in Community Education from De Montfort University, Leicester my friends really tried hard to motivate me to stay on in UK. They laid so much stress upon better monetary prospects and quality of life while trying to motivate. I would then recall the hot June under the peepal tree experience and the very thought as such would make me sweat in 5º C of angrezon ki bhoomi and I was quite clear that I would go back to the lands I belong to. It was not just 'pashchim ke paale se paala pada to /apna watan sach, bahut yaad aaya' it was also the variety of weather in our country which is such an attraction. In the foreign lands more often than not you would find them mildly cursing the weather calling it 'silly' or 'stupid' with not so unfriendly frowns. Weather is always the first mention in any of their conversations which they would amicably start with: 'nice weather, isn't it? You alrite ?' It’s a common belief that without the mention of weather, half the conversations would not take off. It’s the variety of hues and texture that fascinates me so much about weather in our country. For two three days we complain of 'whooof ! too hot!' And do our best to beat the heat with cold sattoo or lassi or paanna. And lo! we wake up to find it all drenched, cool wind, overcast sky, soaked leaves and road surface and sondhi khushboo after the droplets touch the dry hot crust! Unparalleled! And see! The sun is already there staring with June-ish smile!! Where else would you find such extremes, change at so quick a pace and all this happening so frequently? Something there is in the weather, too that fascinates so much and keeps us grounded and in love with 'hinduatan hamara'.