Summer is here

Technically, it’s spring. But we Indians are simple people. For us, summer is sunny, winter is cold and it rains in the monsoon. When spring and autumn are mentioned, I retreat to wiki to find out which months are being referred to. Once a colleague asked me how many seasons we have in India. I was going to say three and but then I remembered that we have six- Vasant, Grishma, Varsha, Sharad, Hemant and Shishir. Good names for children, if anyone decides to have six. Or five, don’t think Grishma will like his name. Anyway, after that realization, my annoyance at the spring-autumn duo has eased. We Indians are complicated people after all.

When I came to Dresden in December, Sun would rise at 7.30 am and set at 4 pm. One needed good luck to catch a glimpse of the sun through the misty sky. Although I enjoyed that weather with all the snow around, spending long time outside was difficult. Now, the weather is much more pleasant. Sun rises before I do and sets at 8 pm. So last Saturday, after a fulfilling lunch in a restaurant called Taste of India, I roamed the city just to know the streets and tram routes. Old town was busy with tourists. On the riverside, I saw people lying in the sun, reading, hula-hooping, barbecuing, indulging in PDA and other leisurely activities. The majestic Brühl's Terrace stood on the opposite side of the river. It was a perfect place to spend the rest of the day. Do Indian cities have such scenic places where people just idle around? It also reminded me of IIT Kanpur. The campus has a beautiful garden which is criminally underused. I used to go there to read on weekends.  

Near Albert Platz

Brühl's Terrace across Elbe

I look forward to doing this on every weekend. Spending time here with friends should be even more fun. But that’s hoping for too much, for now. More on that later. Tschüss!