From the scorching heat to the wet shrill of the nor’westers, a myriad of natural occurrences and emotions bloom from April to September in the heart of Bengal.
Bittersweet like a roller coaster, summer and monsoon have fused to brighten Bengal with savoury fruits, but also brought forth the impending trouble of monsoon floods.
Summer is intense, with temperatures exceeding 35℃. Humidity is high, and even leaves don’t move in the static atmosphere. While some remain shaded indoors, most are commuters feeling agitated, restless and frustrated as sweat drips down their shoulders from morning to dusk.
Then, without so much as the thickening of clouds or the rumbling of thunder, a dusty wind blows within minutes, and rain shimmers in streams. The atmosphere cools within a minute's embrace, but rickshaw pullers and other labourers take much longer before they veil their polythene bags to shield themselves from the rain.
Those at home take to their verandas with puffed rice and a cup of tea. Some sit pensive in silence, listening to the rain.
Others recite timeless melodies of Bengali poets created for the monsoon’s break, a certain song being most cherished:
Oi ashe oi oti bhairob horoshe
By Rabindranath Tagore, translated by Prof Fakrul Alam
There, there they come—monsoonal clouds—
Exhilarating, awesome, moisture-laden,
Fragrant, earth-soaked, dense, rejuvenated
Dark-hued, somber, glorious—ready to burst!
However, the other side of the story is one of woes and misery. As global warming intensifies, average temperatures in Bangladesh in recent years have risen 0.9℃2, which is 0.2℃2 more than the average global temperature rise.
Another study states that, while in Dhaka the average precipitation from 1980-2020 remained stable, there is some evidence of a decrease of around 2.7 days per decade in the number of rainy days in the monsoon season.
Monsoon floods cast a dark loom over the countryside, crumbling tin sheds and bamboo dams as they inundate villages. The beauty of light rain is often replaced by the wrath of heavy water bullets breaking houses and destroying crops and livestock. With a multi-sided increase in weather extremity, the death of cattle has substantially increased, be it by flood or by drought. There's simply little that locally built dams can do for floods that grow stronger every year.
Yet, the scorching heat and splash of the monsoon rain don’t stop mangoes, jackfruits, lychees, and dragonfruits from ripening to abundance. Every few weeks, a different type of mango ripens naturally, varying in size, fragrance and colour to entice everyone. From the deep golden hues of Langra to the blush-tinted Himsagar, the varieties arrive in seasonal procession. Northern districts like Dinajpur and Rajshahi bloom with lychees, while purple dragonfruits reach markets from around the country. Despite the unpredictable weather, the rhythm of the seasons endures, turning this volatile season into one of Bangladesh’s most fruitful.
The six-season cycle can only be a fraction complete without summer and monsoon.
They mix together in a strange yet splendid way. So don’t forget to take a moment, sit by the window, and enjoy fruits in the heat and a cup of tea in the rain!
