An Old Nugget:

The summer of '96 will leave behind it quite a few broken hearts, lots of beer cans and some unique selling propositions for the Tourism Department - Utpal Chatterjee. So, you too have been grumbling about the heat, have you? Bless you, then, for not being all that much of an odd-ball. After all, how many are there who can take 40 degrees C and more - day in and day out, experience all the drudgeries of a chicken being constantly grilled over a tandoor and still manage to retain one's senses?

In fact, like so many others who never cease to gush and sigh about the ascending mercury levels, one can perhaps take adequate pride in being part of history in the making. In being known someday, with a little bit of luck "as one of the greatest survivors of '96".

Looking back, this story is remarkable. For me, that was the year when my teenage self began recognising the changing patterns of weather. Little variations to be sure but not so subtle to be missed. 12 years hence, this writer will probably concur with me in dividing recognised climate patterns to pre- and post-96 eras, at least in my context.

But the hysterical rant about our desperate hunger fuelling the decadent destruction of the Earth belongs to another post.