It's that time of the year again!

It’s that time of the year again…
Of walking by the sea face, willing the wind to blow in my face
Of getting drenched in the huge waves, caring two hoots for hygiene when the salty sea water goes down my throat

It’s that time of the year again…
Of avoiding the showers on the way to office, and wishing they allowed us to wear capris or bermudas and sandals to work
Of getting caught between the desire to get wet, and the need to keep the mobile phone and diary dry – the latter winning over, leaving a pain in the heart

It’s that time of the year again…
Of going to sleep listening to the bullfrogs calling out to their mates
Of waking up to the patter of rains on the plastic chhajja outside the house

It’s that time of the year again…
Of bhuttas and hot bhajiyas with tea
Of jamuns that make my mouth go purple

It’s that time of the year again…
Of getting caught in the traffic jam, and cursing the municipal corporation
Of playing again like the child I was, when I get caught in water logging on the weekend

It’s that time of the year again…
Of getting caught between the desire to splash water on people while driving by
And thinking, “Would I have liked it if someone else had done that to me”

It’s that time of the year again!

World Environment Day

Coming back from office yesterday, I saw a ‘Save Environment’ rally taken out by a leading political party. Leading the rally was a premium open top car – one of those guzzlers – followed by another premium car, the Rs.70 lakh plus range ones – another guzzler.

This was followed by a few more gas spewing 4-wheelers, then about 20 token bi-cyclists, with an ambulance and a large police van bringing up the rear.

They were moving on at a fair pace, not stopping to talk to people or informing them about the Environment Day, as one would presume. But to be fair, all the cars and the bicyclists had some greenery tied to some part of them - a few branches probably broken from a tree at the last minute. After all, people are smart enough to understand what that means, right?

I don’t know why, but seeing all those guzzlers and the tokenism reminded me of a certain political personality. Someone who had created an oxymoron about something being necessary for something opposite. Something to do with peace, if I remember right!

Anyway, Happy Environment Day, folks!