The bitterly cold and piercing winds are now giving way to the pleasant cool morning breeze. These are the times when siblings bicker on whether to keep the fan speed on 3 or 5, clothes are taking a much shorter span to get dried, cravings for chilled lassi and sugarcane juice is now threatening the stranglehold of the ‘garam chae’, it is that time when we bid farewell to the warmth of quilts and blankets and do a reunion with the light shaded and halve-sleeved cotton clothes. This is the time of transition and you know where the shift will take you. You know what is in offing – it is SUMMERS!
Summer, that time of the year when the Sun burns the hottest, makes both the old and the young run for shelter, to hide within the comforts of their home. For a major part of the day, the outdoors are closed and we are forced to be stuck within our homes. The Fans and Air Coolers seem to be our best friends. Meanwhile, we also pity those who do not have a choice and have to brave this sweltering heat. A lot of precaution is also taken to protect ourselves from Sunstroke or in common parlance “the Loo”.
“As the soothing presence of Spring subsides and temperatures start to soar,
the reminders come rushing in, Summer is at the door!
The dawn comes knocking early, with gentle raps it makes its presence known,
the light stays far longer, an unwillingness to fade away is shown.
For too many days it lay frozen, suffered the brunt of winter and time,
the warmth melts and comforts, strengthening this heart of mine.
Like all nature I have waited, for it all to bloom again,
the chirp provides the evidence, the leaves dance due to the same.”
Being stuck inside the four walls may seem to be dreary for those free spirited at heart. But, at the same time, summer is also the time of the year which makes up for a lot of fond memories for a lot of people around the world. So, what makes this season a long awaited one?
The Summer Vacation
“Is it the weather or is it the situation which is heating up?” is the thought which runs across the minds of almost every student.
The end of Spring and the arrival of Summer coincides with another major event in a Student’s life: the Annual Exams. As the weather heats up, the exams are also in full swing. With every passing paper, the burden slightly reduces and the yearning for freedom grows. As if crawling, inch by inch, holding on to our dear dreams, we climb the summit – Till one day it’s all over and as a breath of fresh air the Summer Vacation arrives.
“The bells have rung.. The bells have rung.. Kids came shouting with faces alight.
The smell of freedom is in the air, its Summer Vacation alright!”
Summer Vacation is the time when the school is off for more than a month. The children are free to do what they like, a break from the strict schedules, a time for themselves. This allows them to step back and regroup. This also provides an opportunity to build everlasting memories.
Every child makes plans for the vacation, the planning begins quite in advance. The lists of “things to do” are drawn up comprising all kinds of wild ideas that can be conjured up – after all it is the time when the children can let their imaginations run wild. There will be time to spend with friends, sports, fun activities, going out for holidays, etc. – anything and everything a child can imagine is listed – the simple joys!
Time to Pursue a Hobby
One important aspect of Summer Vacation is it provides children the time to delve in their interests – each has his/her own. While some may like to read, others like to paint, some indulge in sports while the others may take up some other hobbies. The hobbies developed during this period stay with us all our lives – through thick or through thin.
As pointed out before, sports and outdoor games are one of the prominent activities which children and youth engage in. Sports not only help in keeping us healthy but also help in the development of qualities such as team spirit, discipline, patience, strategy, and a ‘never say die’ attitude. These qualities and interpersonal skills developed serve us all along our lives – professionally or personally.
“The smell of freshly cut grass still brings back memories,
of those Summer mornings we spent on the field with friends.
Strengthening our bonds of brotherhood and laid up the edifice,
On which our character of teamwork, integrity and compassion lays.”
Some people also take up reading. The available literature ranges from fiction to nonfiction. Both forms have immense benefits. Apart from helping in better articulation, it also provides us with ideas about the people and the world. These ideas have a major role to play in developing critical thinking and sharpens our worldview. Through great literature we spend time with the great minds of the present and the past. As it is rightly said, the company we keep plays an enormous role in shaping who we are.
“She found the whole wide world in the pages she read,
The words were the bricks from which her dream castles were made.
She met ideas and understood people, she had a smile on her face,
To her the world of books, filled with letters, never failed to amaze.”
Some people also take up artistic hobbies like music and painting. Learning the art not only provides immense pleasure and satisfaction but also it is a skill which opens up opportunities in the future. According to some recent research, they also help in sharpening our minds and can help us become brighter human beings.
“One sang a merry little tune, in her sweet tender voice,
The other painted a scenario of the world where all rejoice.
Still others joined the fray playing their instruments,
The young minds filled their hearts and the world with happiness.”
The Classic Board Games
Summer Vacations are also the best times to enjoy some indoor games with family and friends. In this day and age when social media and video games have taken up most of our times and preoccupied our minds, board games still retain their charm.
These allow us to create a bond within the family and with friends as well as provide us entertainment. It helps in improving cognitive abilities, honing our imaginations and creativity, also helping us learn various associated skills. These not only create great memories but also make us well rounded individuals.
“Some days we threw dice, on others we played cards,
Rolled marbles on the floor, tried our hands at darts!
Sat across a table we waited patiently for our turns,
more than winning and losing it was, we played them and had fun.”
The Summer Foods
Every season brings an associated weather type which has its own charm. These weather types affect our proclivities as far as our food habits are concerned. In addition, there are certain foods which grow in particular seasons which become associated with the time in which they are available.
One of the major food items which becomes available to us in Summers are the Mangoes. Liked equally by the young and the old, it is a major food delicacy in India. From eating them raw, to ripe ones, pickled ones, or creating sweets, shakes and juices (“Aam Panna”), Mangoes are a major Summer attraction.
“The kids have gathered under the Mango tree’s shade,
Laden with fruits it was and they were waiting for the owner’s vigil to end.
Some were gathering rocks for their ‘Gulel’ while others will just pelt,
Some were getting ready to climb, and in their hearts no fear was felt.”
Same goes for Watermelons. The sweet and juicy fruit becomes available in Summer and helps in cooling down our systems, especially when consumed in the evenings after a hot Summer day.
Another major attraction, especially for the young ones, are ice creams. Though consumed year round, the demands especially soar in Summers. Some indigenous ones like the famed ‘baraf gola’ or the ‘rabdi kulfi’ also find a lot of takers. These sweets have become part of Summers-lore so much so that one can hardly go without eating these when temperatures rise.
“On Summer evenings, the local vendor came strolling down the streets,
Brought a machine which churns ice and syrups which are sweet.
With different colours on ice he created layers after layers,
Seeing the colourful ball of snow, our mouth waters and the will wavers.”
The Holiday Outings
The vacation also gives time to plan family holidays. The holidays can range from visiting ancestral homes to hill stations. These have also become a part of the Summer ritual and allows time for bonding.
The travels to the hill stations as a form of refuge from the sweltering heat has come in vogue. A lot of tourists throng these places, at least for a day or two. They also provide many attractions which a family can participate in together. The different places we visit become etched in our memories throughout life. They also allow us to meet a lot of different people and learn about the world.
Another fondly awaited place to visit for people are their ancestral homes. The children love to visit their grandparents. These visits again help us to bond with our extended families and also provide opportunities to learn life skills from the previous generations
To read about some places which can be visited during holidays and travelogues: click here
The Grandmothers’ Stories
We cannot miss the Grandmother’s stories which are so much a part of the Summer folklore. All of us may not be lucky enough to have these experiences. But for those who are, it can be one of the best experiences in a persons’ life.
Our paternal or maternal ancestral homes (basically homes where our paternal grandparents or maternal ones live) are the places where our cousins and siblings come together, under one roof. It provides children the opportunity to find ‘partners-in-crime’ for their mischiefs as well as provides opportunities for a lot of fun activities.
One such famed activity is listening to Grandmother’s stories. All children sit close together after dinner to listen to stories. These stories are full of fun, perfected through experience of telling them multiple times, and have the ability to transport us to different imaginary realms. This fires creativity in children and creates timeless memories.
“It got warmer and warmer in the afternoon but our hearts were spellbound,
to listen to Grandma’s stories, after lunch when we all finally settled down.
The day galloped away and the evening came strolling setting us free,
the prisons of four walls left behind, the young and the old both glee.”
The extended Games at Twilight
Summers are associated with longer evenings. These longer and pleasant evenings along with the advantage of vacation provides ample time for children to indulge in creative games. These games have a special place in the hearts of all those who have participated in them.
One such popular sport is the game of hide and seek. The dimming lights create a perfect foil for the game. The associated thrill and suspense have fired imaginations for generations and inspired stories. The games continue late after Sunset and are very fun.
The dimming lights also allow the children to become creative and indulge in horror stories. They are again part of the folklores but make up some of the best memories of our childhood and youth.
“The light would dim gently and in veils of darkness we played hide and seek,
the thrill of waiting, huddling in cramped spaces, stealing our little peeks.
The night came finally but the desires far from fulfilled,
we remembered the haunted places and tested courage, under skies moonlit.”
To read more about the game of hide-and-seek: click here
Time to Create Memories
The times are changing. With increasing consumerism and addition of technology in our day to day lives, the simple joys of life are slowly fading into oblivion. The Summers, which used to be paradise for children, have now made way for children stuck at homes. These are not only having negative effects in their lives and health but also making us lose some of our collective heritage.
The world driven by outcomes has somewhat added to children’s burdens. The Summers which offer children the time to discover themselves have become a time when we as society force our choices upon them.
For instance, hobbies which used to be based on one’s natural inclination and highlighted the process of self-discovery, have been hijacked by social media run by Artificial Intelligence. The views on a video or likes on a post help decide the quality of our travel or the taste of our food. The art of honing skills or relations with patience and care is lost in the shortening attention spans. In this scenario, somewhere the innocence pays the price and is made to realise the superficial nature of the world.
Summer used to be the time when we went out and met people. It was also the time to develop skills and create relationships which lasted a lifetime. The bonds we created serve us till today and strengthen not only our past, present, but will do so in our futures also. These bonds can never be formed in isolation, staying cooped up in our rooms in front of our screens. The PUBG or Play Stations with isolated participants may never hijack the relations formed with those little games played at twilight.
As the saying goes, we should not put the “cart before the horse”. The process of growth needs to be guided and nurtured. Taking extra coding lessons can be “rewarding” in the shorter span but the moments foregone will leave an everlasting hole in the heart hard to fill.
“The web of dreams was spun with all love, affection, and care.
Saved those souvenirs in our hearts which our innocence shares.
Those tinsel towns of memories provide us the strength we require,
for the light may fade away someday or the situations may get dire.”
The Summer brings a culture with it, having its own associated activities, lifestyle choices and provides a host of opportunities. It is high time we save this dying culture which is begging for our attention.
To read poetry about Summer: click here
Author: Abhijit Guha Roy
abhijit@penperspectives.com