Ahmedabad – A cold city?

Ahmedabad shivers. The shivers can primarily be attributed to the sub-zero temperatures… just kidding… the lowest it has gone is 7 degrees but this is extreme cold by ahmedabad’s standards.

Yesterday while returning after having a hearty meal at one of the better known ‘dhaba’ I happened to be see two distinct sights…

Sight 1

Cruising on the highway we passed a secluded area and then we stopped to answer nature’s call (What?…Your bodily functions change in winter…) Anyway, while trying to find a dimly-lit area we came upon a secluded garden. We saw a couple sitting on the park bench. Of the 4-5 benches only one was occupied and I was surprised that they were unaffected by the biting cold. The couple seemed to be arguing about something. I mean the lady seemed pissed off and the guy was trying to please her. 

After answering nature’s call we were back on the highway and on our return we could not see the couple on the bench. I thought that the cold finally got to them. Further down the road I saw a couple walking. The guy was practically hugging the girl while walking…

I was glad that things had worked out for them and they were enjoying every moment of togetherness…

Sight 2

We got back on the highway making way back to the murky sidelanes of the city. While crossing over a bridge we saw an old man, sitting alone on the pavement. I could see that he was fidgeting, maybe he was trying to adjust his posture or something. This is when I realized that he was trying his best to fit himself into a jute bag (a jute bag that is primarily used to transport wheat) to fight off the cold. From the way he was shivering it was obvious that the jute bag was not doing a very good job of fighting off the cold.

As we entered the city limits my mind started to wonder at the two diabolically different ways in which cold affected people to a few it brought them closer and for some a question of survival…

Sight 3

Finally me… I dream about the mercury dropping further down all the time; but I forget that I am cozily tucked in three woollen blankets when I think about this.

I am sure that the couple probably would not mind the lower temperature but I am sure that the jute bag just might give up the losing battle against cold and  this is true metaphorically too. He was shivering not only due to the cold weather but also probably due to the indifference of the world at large… What has caused us to become so insensitive to the outside world, I wonder and now…I pray for warmer weather …