THAT TIME OF YEAR

They were holding a puja (prayer session) in the adjacent road - plastic chairs were grouped in rows, under an awning, in the heat of the midday sun.  The sound of their chanting wafted across, as it rose and fell, in an endless monotony of enveloping sound.  I hoped the rewards for this sacrifice, would be immense for all the participants.

The heat is unbearable - every day the mercury rises up through the 40s C and you move from one AC to the next or alternatively from one overhead fan to the next.  The climate strips you of all artifice - hair has to be swept back into a pony tail, whether it suits you or not, make-up melts, so there is no point in wearing it - lipstick has to be kept in the fridge.  Jewelry has ro be removed, it burns rather than decorates.  This includes the wrist watch which causes an unsightly rash as the heat and sweat combine with the leather to cause an allergy.  

Recumbent forms are draped over every horizontal surface as people choose to sleep through the heat of the day.  Cows lie down in whatever shade they can find.  And women walk slowly with their saris pulled over their heads, hiding their faces.  In a couple of months the monsoon will come.