Bangalore chills out as India scorches

Bangalore chills out, India scorches
The Times of India

Bangalore: “Neighbour’s Envy; Owner’s Pride” — best describes the city’s cool weather condition. While North and Central Indian states lay battered by the sun with a punishing 40 plus degree Celcius, Bangalore offers a cool and pleasant 26 degrees Celcius. This, from a maximum of 30 plus degrees Celcius just three days ago.

With the clouds thickening by the day, temperatures are likely to dip further reaching a minimum of 18 degrees C, says the MET office.

With it, the city is singing a new tune. Although the city experienced heavy rains towards evening till a fortnight ago, day-time weather conditions remained hot and humid. The extreme conditions were attributed to local convective conditions of pre-monsoon showers. The mercury levels now seem to have changed with diurnal temperature difference narrowing down.

Offices and homes are turning off their air-conditioners and fans.
“A welcome respite from sleeping on the floor to beat the hot and sultry summer. Earlier, fans had to be turned on all night. Now it’s time to curl inside the blanket and wake up late,” Tara S., a software professional said.

For her colleague Suresh Saxena, who has just come down from Rajasthan, Bangalore seems more beautiful than ever. “Jaipur weather is hovering around 42 degrees Celcius. It’s a hellish feeling. I want my family to come down immediately and take a break,” he said.

Woollies are making its presence felt as well. “We have just started placing orders for more stock. Hitherto, there was no need for that as the day-time weather was always high. It was almost becoming a cause of concern,” a relieved knit wear trader in Commercial Street said.

Hot water showers and a palate for spicy food are making a big statement. Fast foods, chaat and buttawallahs are making brisk business. “Things are looking up,” smiled a busy chaat vendor on M.G. Road.

Although south-west monsoon invaded the state around the first fortnight this month, parts of north-interior Karnataka are yet to experience the first showers. The prevailing condition is quite unlike last year, but a good spell of monsoon is predicted this year again, say officials in the Met department.