Summer Slumber

What is it like to sleep in the summer? The heat takes out your shirt. The heat pulls down your trousers. You just want to get out of bed. But, you are too drained out to do so. Every now and then a gentle gust of wind from the fan touches your bare back and the cold sweat gives you the priceless chill. Then, it is gone.

You have umpteen things to do for the day. Your body is, but, tied to the bed. You just want to get out of bed. But, you are too drained out to do so. The bed covers get dirty with sweat and mosquito blood. Oh yeah, there are the mosquitoes. They don't leave you alone in summer. They come swarming at you from all angles, take your blood and make it their own. The pain in the neck and the pain in the back gets worse with the itch on the ass. Yuck! I wonder if this is the hottest place on earth. I grope in the darkness of the early morning to find my watch and with it, the time of the hour. Oh, it's five and you're late.

All my green values and eco-friendliness tries to stop me. But, I can't stop my arms from moving toward the remote control. I switch on the AC and in 10 minutes, I'm back to Switzerland in my dreams.

It's the exponential growth of global warming that I have no idea of stopping. Look at the above condition for example. Sleeping in summer is indeed, difficult with the summers getting hotter every year. I read in the newspaper some time in February, that the average temperature in Delhi during February had climbed 1 degree Celsius during the past year. Temperature is rising due to a lot of things. But, temperature is mainly rising due the rise in temperature. The amount of heat an air-conditioner lets out while working needs no imagination. You only need to stand near the outdoor unit to get the idea. As the summer heat rises, the use of air conditioners will rise as well. This cycle accelerates global warming, no doubt. The power consumption of ACs are reason for alarm as well.

I have a bad solution for this. I switch on the AC for some time and then switch it off. It's not the greatest solution but it works in my case. Last month, I also tried another method to reduce the heat. I got the whole roof painted white with slaked lime (Cost Rs.750/- total). Ah, it's quite different now. I can at least halve my power consumption for AC, now. These are quick-fix solutions. But, those who are building homes now can make a difference. Those who are planning to build new homes must stress on eco-friendliness rather than aesthetics, while meeting the Architect. Of course, you need aesthetics to show off. You need aesthetics to want to come back home from wherever you are. But if you don't have an eco-friendly home, only you suffer: none of those who appreciated the aesthetics of your home is going to come and sleep in your house. As a Civil Engineer, I have always had enquiries from friends, relatives on how to reduce the heat in their home. Most of the ways I suggest must be at the cost of aesthetics. But, they can't compromise with aesthetics.

As I tried to wake up this morning, this were the very thoughts on my mind. But, tired and famished, it took the rest of the morning to nourish me up. And, I could write only in the afternoon. It's so good to see you all visiting my blog. Thank You! Good Day, Good Night!!!