LIFESTYLES: Canadian Fall/Indian Spring – What do they have in common?

Why does Canadian fall remind of spring in the Punjab? They have probably nothing in common except for the fact that for me both represent my favourite seasons being left behind and the dreaded ones looming ahead.
I hated Indian summer and I would start feeling the blues in March and I hate Canadian winter and start feeling the blues in October. Both seasons albeit in different parts of the world meant that you were life and activities were soon going to start moving more and more indoors.
In India, summer months are scorching. Being outside in the burning hot sun becomes impossible. Evenings are hot and muggy as well. The wardrobe becomes limited as you try and wear the thinnest possible materials. Even they become soaking wet within hours of being worn. Culturally you don’t have the luxury to be scantily clad in shorts or tank tops and I doubt even if that would make too much of a difference. You can’t wear make-up because it is going to melt away within seconds and who wants to do anything with a clammy face, damp forehead, and sweaty upper lip and hair. Any physical movement or exercise just leads to further stickiness in the armpits and perspiration in the legs. It is not as if the misery ends when you are inside an air cooled or air-conditioned indoors. The electricity power cuts will play their own games with you. Because of a demand overload, the Indian power grid automatically cuts off different areas sporadically throughout the day to keep the supply balanced. Who would look forward to that?
In Canada, it is the winter which herds people in. Rain, freezing temperatures and snow will make it impossible for you to enjoy the great outdoors. It is dark when you go to work and dark when you return home. Can’t even catch a glimpse of the neighbours. No fun dressing up for parties, no open towed sandals or stilettos in the snow. You need to stay warm. If you are brave enough to wear your finery, be prepared to have the chill rip through your silk right into your legs. You need to stay warm. If you are on the road, chances are that you are fighting one of the elements whether it is rain, snow or fog. You are comfortable inside your home but quiet and isolated from casual visits with friends and very few would look forward to that.
manpreetgrewal@shaw.ca
Manpreet Grewal is a freelance journalist based in Abbotsford. Her work has appeared in the Vancouver Sun, The province, CBC radio and Shaw TV. She is also a manager at a non-profit organization in Abbotsford

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