Seasonal greetings!

’Tis generally the season to be happy. Apart from the overall spring cleaning that has been in progress in my life – everything from my address book to my desk at work has been refurbished, the extraneous weeded out, the excessive removed – there is a sense of fresh beginnings and new directions to explore, a bright morning that will last, I hope, a very long time.

It has a lot to do with the weather. After a very long and hot summer last year came a burst of coolth with the rain, late and sporadic as it was to start with. The monsoon then gained in sound and fury, signifying a whole lot for the beleaguered Mumbaikar, who was dreading a rerun of the deluge that had drowned the city the year before. There were floods, but fewer people were trapped by them, since most chose to stay home and safe from the rising waters. Clearance work was fast, gaining the municipal corporation some praise, but the flack came with the shape (literally) of the roads and the state of the city’s transport systems.

And then, after the rain, came the relentless heat. It burst into the air, heating the atmosphere, the city and its denizens with no mercy, frying butterflies as they alit on the pavement for a brief and lethal moment, melting the tempers and tiffins of commuters in trains, buses and cars alike. A brief thunderstorm or two assuaged frayed emotions and battered asphalt for a few moments, cooling overheated minds and bodies even as the fat drops of salty rainwater vanished into the haze that blanketed the city.

But over the last couple of weeks there has been some relief. A merciful lowering of temperatures at night has made it easier to bear the brilliant sunshine and golden heat of the afternoon, when the birds, the plants and our kitten take a deep and prolonged nap. And the past week has been chilly, to the stage when I turn off the air conditioner in the car and tuck my feet under the bedspread at night. The morning chill sends the kitten into a frenzy of mad activity, sliding across the newly polished floors in the house, skittering chirping over the sofa cushions and hopping wildly behind us as we potter about, half-asleep, opening windows, tidying beds and making coffee.

It’s great for the mood, too. I feel lighter, brighter, better, happier. My year has started well, with family, friends, affection, laughter and some chocolate. I hope it stays that way!