This is one season Kolkattans are very possessive about. The mild winter that sets in December and January is the time to move out in groups and visit close-by places, and also enjoy the frequent nightly sojourn. The chill in the air is usually just about right to bask in the Sun in the day, while feeling game to soul-warming drinks in the evenings.
The marriage season is the busiest during this time, and since there is no fear of rain, open-air congregation is more often a preferred choice. As the year slowly comes to end, Christmas and the new year lend a distinct charm to Kolkata’s fun-loving spirit. Fairs and those para-based utsabs prove the right reasons to venture out of home every other day.
But none of this can there be if it’s not sufficiently cold to make people move out. This is what is now happening in Kolkata. Touching 12.4 for barely 2 days last week, the mercury has risen to 17.4 degrees yesterday, which has somewhat dampened the mood. Weather analysts say moist air from the west has driven away dry wind from the north, which is why this rise in temperature.
I don’t know if anywhere people are so watchful of what the met department says as they are in Kolkata (and indeed Bengal). If it’s a wait for end of monsoon during puja, it’s the expectation of cold now. What happens if it’s not as cold as it ought to be? Well, no guessing that people will feel cheated at the stealing of winter, which is something they have no control on. Who knows what’s in store this year!
Leave a Reply