Another day in a heatwave- Sunglasses

The heat wave has an impact on people in any part of the world. The heat wave could be in the months of March, April, May and June in parts of Asia and in June, July, August and September in most parts of the Middle East. People still have to work and find ways and means to face the odds and earn their bread and butter. They have to attend to their commitments irrespective of the severity of the heat wave. In the middle east the governments have issued warnings to companies not to allow their workers to work between 12 noon upto 3 pm due to the prevailing heat wave in the months from June to September.

Unfortunately, this year 2020 added to their woes with the COVID virus Pandemic spreading in all parts of the world.

The Corona Virus COVID-19 has posed a host of problems as we all know and one that had Jaideep do what he would normally like to avoid if it was anyway possible, was to venture out on a Summer day in the month of July during the odd hours of the afternoon, as he is now serving in Dubai in the Middle East. Being Saturday, the only day he is left with to attend to activities other than official office works. Before going the sleep the day before he had decided to close out at least a few of the pending works that require his personal attention to remain afloat.

By the time Jaideep had got up from sleep, brushed his teeth and taken bath it was 10 AM. Thereafter, he broke his fast with brown bread and bournvita and bent on his black blackberry mobile to see if could buy more time to enjoy his breakfast but felt being betrayed and bounced to his bedroom. Before 11 AM he was ready to step out and accomplish his day’s target.

Firstly, today was the last day to pay his credit card dues and the bank is open only from 11 AM to 2 PM due to the prevailing Pandemic and most of the bank employees are asked to opt for WORK FROM HOME. As it were, Jaideep also did not have great belief in On-line transactions and therefore, he unwillingly consoled himself to take a walk to the nearest bank a few kilometers away from his residence.

The temperature was hovering around 40 to 42 degrees and heat wave soaring on this July afternoon when a thought went past the mind of Jaideep who was in his late fifties. Jaideep said to himself that my sunglasses which I purchased last year from my bonus amount is yet to be put to proper use. Here is an opportunity that presents itself on many counts; the quality of the sunglasses will be tested, the endurance of heat by my body will be judged and the number of people in the streets on such a day, at such an hour will be displayed.

Mind you Jaideep does not have the liberty of owning or hiring a car to cut short the distance to reach the bank with the ATM which has the facility of accepting deposits.

Given the options available Jaideep had to walk the distance braving the heat wave and also return back after accomplishing the work in hand.

Jaideep was also reminded of a few lines from a poem of Robert Southwell which was having the title "Look Home" from St. Peter's Complaint written in the year 1595 and they resembled the thoughts that was floating in the mind of Jaideep "The device of man, in working hath no end; What one thought can think, another thought can mend."

Jaideep firmed up his mind within the next few minutes, armed with summer T Shirt with calligraphy expressed and thoughts filled in these lines on it "I ran like a slave, to walk like a man", cream cotton shorts, crimson canvas shoes, green colored beret cap and the coveted Ray Ban Sunglasses lodged on his nose and adding to the glamour and elegance of the clean shaven face, moistened with Brute after shave lotion and powdered with Yardley (Jasmine flavour) to brazen the scorching heat.

Subsequently, Jaideep left his building at 12 Noon and stepped on to the pavement leading to the bank on the left side of the main road, past a signal and half a kilometer further in a medium sized shopping mall at the ground floor.

Jaideep was fortunate to find the signal green and he saved sometime on account of that on his way to the bank and deposited the due amount in the deposit slot of the ATM Machine and took the receipt of confirmation and prayed to God that he made it. Now that his target of the day was achieved he happily started coming back after purchasing a small bottle of drinking water to quench the thirst and withstand the heat wave emanating and adding to the dehydration he was experiencing.

While returning Jaideep found that the signal on the main road was showing red and hence he had to wait till the signal would show green. The heatwave was quite severe and the few minutes of waiting at the signal felt as if waiting hours on end. At that time, another thought caught his attention and that was of an incident that took place some twenty five to thirty years ago.

Jaideep was in his late teens and had to attend an interview in Lucknow in one of the very hot days of summer with heat wave at its zenith. He by stroke of luck had another family of three members with whom he could accompany to Lucknow which was their hometown, a few kilometers away from their village, where they had recently purchased a flat and was vacant. They had after disembarking from the train hired a Cycle Rickshaw from the Station to Nishadganj where there flat was located and reached the destination in half an hour at around 1 pm in the afternoon.

Of the three members whom Jaideep was accompanying, one member was an elderly person past his sixties. After opening the flat and all of them entering the drawing room of the vacant flat, felt quite hungry and the elderly gentleman was feeling thirsty too.

The elderly gentleman started wondering how to get some water to drink. He asked the two other members of his family to request someone to arrange for a jar of water. Both of the other members who were in there early teens were little shy and had not enough maturity to understand the urgency of the matter and instead of looking for a solution started searching for excuses.

Jaideep on the contrary rushed to the flat opposite, knocked the door and very softly and kindly requested the neighbour if they could oblige with a jar of water as we have an elderly person sitting in the room next door quite thirsty after braving the hot summer and the heatwave.

The neighbour very graciously acceded to the request of Jaideep and handed him a jar of water which he presently handed over to the elderly gentleman. That gentleman drank the water and quenched his thirst.

Jaideep went out as he did not have much time left for his interview. He finished his interview and came back in the evening. Before Jaideep had left for interview he had few washed clothes which he kept on the dining table for ironing when he finds time for it.

To his pleasant surprise when he came back he found that all his clothes that were on the table were already ironed and neatly stacked.

There was not much to be said but so much to be experienced. Jaideep’s understanding or shall we say, presence of mind was paid off with interest by the one who realised the severity of the thirst and the impact of the heat wave.

Next minute Jaideep realised signal is now green and he crossed the road and was back home and set to his routine.

K.V. Chidambaram