The heat of the day is difficult to deal with. But that is precisely why one must embrace it. So over the past week, I have been making it a point to step out when the sun is overhead. And my shadow nearly disappears. Last year I remember when the shadows really disappeared, we all gathered at the front gate of my the tech park to witness this unique phenomenon. But that was nothing compared to the past few afternoons. Blazing hot sun roasts your scalp as you walk through the roads in search of a moment’s respite under a tree.
Getting out for a walk in the noon is also not very ideal for post lunch work. But it doesn’t matter. It teaches you a lot more. So in a way it makes you tougher, maybe even more resilient and definitely more empathetic. In corners where some trees still exist, one finds travelling salesman, vendors and repair & maintenance professionals who are otherwise always on the move. What is office, what is workspace for them.
The city severely lacks citizen friendly free spaces. In these hot months, free availability of water and shade become important. But alas. Life is not so simple nowadays. In fact it is more complex than before. And that’s the paradox of development. Even technological advancement. The internet age as supposed to make our lives easier. Perhaps that’s true for India one, not for the rest of us. The average citizen doesn’t have any use of the advanced tech and that’s where startups fail. I don’t blame the government for this for I have stopped thinking on those lines now. There’s a lot that the state ought to do.
The heat forces you of to wonder how much more the climate is going to worsen. And will only the tough weather this? Nope the rich. There’s a need to build a more equitable world. Urgently.
