BANGALORE: Depression in the Bay invariably means gloom from the Bangalorean. Dark masses of clouds heap an incessant shower of misery on the city, confining its residents to the dark interiors of their homes. The unrelenting drizzle isn’t heavy enough for one to stay indoors but not light enough for them to venture out. But for those playing hooky, the cyclone’s land fall is a windfall, for, from out of the grey, they are presented with an excuse to skip work. But for those craving for a walk in the neighbourhood, the weather sure is a dampener.Even those with no plans of an outing moan about how the weather has caged them in, for they feel they are at the mercy of the weather gods. The weather gives them another excuse to gulp down an extra dose of coffee and they invariably conjure up images of the corn cobs puttering over embers or spicy chilli bajjis and pakodas turning golden brown as they sizzle in boiling oil.The average Bangalorean, blessed with the most enviable weather for most part of the year, can’t help registering his protest with his friends over the change of weather. As the cyclonic conditions shut out the sun and soak the city, they leave the residents in a dismal mood as they fret about the clothes that aren’t drying and about the slushy roads and foot-paths. The weather is on everybody’s lips, from the autorickshaw driver to the shopkeeper. The foul weather normally lasts a couple of days, before which the citizens finally stop talking and moaning about it and go about their normal activities.The citizen, who still hasn’t brought out his woollens in spite of the overcast skies, suddenly reaches for his pullover when he hears the newsreader say the minimum temperature is down by a few degrees. And soon every other person is wrapped in mufflers and donning monkey caps, sipping piping hot coffee and biting into bajjis.The average Bangalorean is accustomed to the cold, wet conditions and knowing very well that his complaints will not clear the clouds, lets it go at it after initial grunts. But the city’s outstation residents, used to the warm seaside climate, can’t seem to tolerate the conditions and fret for as long as the wet weather prevails, not realising that the foul weather actually originated off their own coast. This provokes the wisecrack to remark that it is high time Karnataka became self-sufficient in its weather, where it could manufacture its own climate, not having to import it from the neighbouring state, like it does with coal and electricity.[email protected]
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