Loss of electricity is part and parcel of life in India albeit in Mumbai.
The earliest times I remember when there were power cuts is back in the day when I was in the first standard, in Mumbai. There was only BSES then. Now there is Reliance Energy.
Ours being a joint family there were a lot of people at home.My Grandfather, grandmother, mom, dad, uncle, aunt, cousin, my brother me. Then there was my Grandfather's unmarried youngest brother. Our house was in a typical middle class locality wherein the doors and windows of all houses are open all the time. This meant that the entire locality literally was a close knit unit in itself.
There were times especially during the onset of the monsoons or the pre-monsoon showers ,that the supply would be interrupted because of some fallen branch which snapped the overhead cables.
This was the best time. In our immediate neighborhood which comprised of 4 buildings (4*12=48 flats) out of a colony of 41 there was only 1 car owner and it being Bombay there were no 2 wheelers at all. Once the supply of electricity was lost male members would bring out the cane chairs and put them out. Women would make tea and Bhajjis. And there would be chat sessions which would go on for long amongst the elderly. The kids would then be allowed to play well past the time. The games which were played during these times would also be very different. But that is a topic of discussion for some other blog post.
There have been really weird situations when there have been power-cuts.
- During the Xth standard board exams. The night before there had to be power-cuts.
- During the F.E. graphics exams. The graphics paper is the only one in a Psychos world which runs for 4 hours and well past 5 pm when the sun is almost settings. And then the lights have to go off.
- During the climax of a movie or a nail biting finish to a sports match.
The loss of electricity leads to frantic search for the candle which is never found in its place.Now-a-days with the UPS and generators those 'Candle Light Dinners' don't happen anymore. And by the time you are able to find where you put the candle the last time the lights were out, and you light it, the electricity is back. A favorite past time during such times would be to stand right in front on the candle and create different shadows using your hands and body. The best ones being a flying bird, a camel and a dog and what not.
What I realized was the culture of a place is sooo defined by the activities that go around. I bet no one outside of India can connect to the amount of fun there is in loss of electricity and the eerie silence which makes us realize what 'silence' really is.
The earliest times I remember when there were power cuts is back in the day when I was in the first standard, in Mumbai. There was only BSES then. Now there is Reliance Energy.
Ours being a joint family there were a lot of people at home.My Grandfather, grandmother, mom, dad, uncle, aunt, cousin, my brother me. Then there was my Grandfather's unmarried youngest brother. Our house was in a typical middle class locality wherein the doors and windows of all houses are open all the time. This meant that the entire locality literally was a close knit unit in itself.
There were times especially during the onset of the monsoons or the pre-monsoon showers ,that the supply would be interrupted because of some fallen branch which snapped the overhead cables.
This was the best time. In our immediate neighborhood which comprised of 4 buildings (4*12=48 flats) out of a colony of 41 there was only 1 car owner and it being Bombay there were no 2 wheelers at all. Once the supply of electricity was lost male members would bring out the cane chairs and put them out. Women would make tea and Bhajjis. And there would be chat sessions which would go on for long amongst the elderly. The kids would then be allowed to play well past the time. The games which were played during these times would also be very different. But that is a topic of discussion for some other blog post.
There have been really weird situations when there have been power-cuts.
- During the Xth standard board exams. The night before there had to be power-cuts.
- During the F.E. graphics exams. The graphics paper is the only one in a Psychos world which runs for 4 hours and well past 5 pm when the sun is almost settings. And then the lights have to go off.
- During the climax of a movie or a nail biting finish to a sports match.
The loss of electricity leads to frantic search for the candle which is never found in its place.Now-a-days with the UPS and generators those 'Candle Light Dinners' don't happen anymore. And by the time you are able to find where you put the candle the last time the lights were out, and you light it, the electricity is back. A favorite past time during such times would be to stand right in front on the candle and create different shadows using your hands and body. The best ones being a flying bird, a camel and a dog and what not.
What I realized was the culture of a place is sooo defined by the activities that go around. I bet no one outside of India can connect to the amount of fun there is in loss of electricity and the eerie silence which makes us realize what 'silence' really is.
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