Surprising and sudden stillness

It's a normal day with everything going on as it ought to be and then all of a sudden the power goes off. Shhhh. The whirring of the fan is gone and the buzzing of the fridge has stopped. Before the sweat and the mosquitoes (if the time is after sunset), one can hear the heart beat softly and a distant train with its siren. The drip-drop of the bathroom tap that always gets lost in the humdrum of the fan, fridge and the exhaust fan, is loudly audible and one, if inclined can set it to rhythm -- drip-drop-drip-drop-drip-drop. The call of an unknown bird strikes the ear and the sound though familiar is at its shrillest. How lovely it sounds!

I have undergone the torture of scheduled power-cuts while living in Tamil Nadu but here there are seldom any power-cuts and so the times the power goes off for few minutes, one is treated to a variety of sounds. Sounds always thrill me and each sound is distinct and speaks to us in different ways. Sounds often synchronize with our own moods and emotional status. If one is angry, then the drip-drop of the water faucet is an irritating and annoying sound but if one is in a lighter bent of mind, then any sound is music to the ear. I hope you agree.

The sound of the distant train always spells journey and the journey is often to places where one finds comfort and joy but on peppier days the sound of the trains reminds one of the unseen and unexplored places that may or may not be seen and felt.

Life is strange, indeed.

What are your thoughts.

The state of the STATE

First off, I would like to thank you for the wonderful responses on my last post. I felt humbled and honoured. Now for today's post.

For the past month and a half, the state of Tamil Nadu has been reeling under acute power shortage. Except for Chennai, all the other places have power cuts which run upto ten hours and the place where I stay is no different. This state has taken all of us to the dark ages when there was no power and life was very simple. Well, in the present we are in the dark albeit the simple life. I had imagined that I was someone who could adjust to any situation rather easily. But this time, I have succumbed to the situation. I have lost my cool and peace.

I know that this post is a rather glorified rant but I still want to go with it. I cook, dress up and even sleep without power. The nights have become dreadful with the menacing mosquitoes on one hand and the slowly dripping sweat on the other. People advice us to buy an inverter but somehow we have been resisting the purchase. Looks like we have to go for one.

Candle-light dinners have become common-place but without any romance. In fact, the candles remind me of the lack of power and hence the situation becomes worse. Home has ceased to be a place which comforts, sustains and empowers. The soothing powers of the home seem distant and I dread staying at home due to the power cuts.

I just cannot imagine as to how there is such a shortage in the state of Tamil Nadu. Whether it is a hype or something else, I cannot know. But I know one thing: I am slowly on the verge of collapse. Psychologically, one looks up at the clock every second, wondering whether the time for the scheduled power cut has arrived. Due to the power cuts, sometimes we are unable to have continuous water connection. The lack of water brings to a stop many vital needs/chores that have to be attended to.

All over the world, Earth hours are celebrated but we are lucky enough not to celebrate any. We have  Earth hours every single day. In fact, I feel, Tamil Nadu is the best example to follow when it comes to saving power.

Let me give you the details of the power cuts:
Morning: 6 to 9; Afternoon: 12 to 3; Evening: 6 to 7, 8 to 9; Night: 12 to 01 and 3 to 4.

Well, I am tired and exhausted trying to schedule my work according to the power cut schedule. Sometimes I give up but then it causes several other problems almost like a domino effect.

I am reading Robinson Crusoe in prep for my MA classes. When I read of his survival in that lonely island for so many years, my problems seem nothing. The timing cannot be more perfect :)

What do you think?

Image: Internet

Moving in the dark

Sometimes when I am doing something that I think is absolutely important, the electricity goes off. Now, considering India, this is a pretty regular feature which has almost become as natural as scratching one's back with the dominant hand. The first reaction is to get angry and frown over the timing of the power cuts. The act that was engaging me has to be suspended in mid air as there is no point in continuing it. But then, there is also this thought that forces me to continue doing what I was doing albeit in the dark. If you notice, as soon as the electricity goes off, the first few minutes are the darkest which seem spine chilling but eventually the eye gets used to the darkness and it seems as if we were always conducting ourselves in this fashion. Perhaps somewhere in our genetic make up there is a bit of the caveman days still ticking softly. I try to act that I have always been like this -- in the dark. I even try to imagine myself like a blind individual. The experience is very humbling. Why? One: The power of vision which we have taken for granted is a gift which many have been deprived of. Two: Moving in the dark enables us to hone other faculties, which, again we take for granted. The second factor enables me to relate to animals, which according to us, have five senses (though humans often pride in the fact that they possess 'six' senses). No matter how consciously one tries, the using of the other senses like smell, touch and auditory are largely limited or rather not used at all. We use the sense that we are familiar with and have grown comfortable with. We can take any activity be it courtship, eating, walking, etc. Everything uses the power of vision predominantly.

The modern civilisation with its glitz and glory has rendered many of our faculties scarce and rather dormant. Responding to the simple touch of a dew drop or a cat is slowly fading away apart from existing in a few pockets of the human race. Smelling the freshly made dosa or the aroma from the coconut chutney is taken for granted which is almost subsumed in the din of the hectic mornings. Giving a ear to the gentle rustle of a leaf or trying to locate the source of a sound is becoming something that takes away 'precious time.' To remind myself of the existence of the different faculties, power cuts come in handy which enable me to move in the dark as comfortable as moving in the light for as the wise man said "Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin."