Some trivia to begin with. The word 'summer' actually comes from combining the Latin terms 'sum' meaning total and 'mer' meaning light.
Its actually been quite a while since I spent an entire summer in Hyderabad. I'd lived the first 16 years of my life in Hyd(school and Intermediate here only). Ever since, I've had a vagabond-ish existence (over the last 8 to 9 years). Its been quite an experience living in so many different places. Now that I've moved back to Hyd (courtesy an amazing job change that was initially frowned upon by all and sundry), it almost feels like I've gone back in time.
The last time I'd spent a summer in Hyderabad was in 2003. Cruel heat, cruel-er engineering college entrance examinations and relentless peer-pressure. Anyone who has prepared for IIT-JEE in AP knows what I am talking about.
However, sans that particular summer, the ones prior to that one were totally memorable. Summer meant morning schools, exams, vacations, gully cricket, holiday homework, movies, swimming, Monopoly, tennis, and wearing total-ventilation-garments(the banian-chaddi existence) all day. Summer meant two months of carefree existence coupled with aeons of time to kill.
The beginning of summer was always marked by the bright morning light right from 6 AM. Being a light-sleeper, I'd wake up with the first jolt of bright light. The morning air would feel different. The TV shows would change. The drinking water timings would change(filling water was my chore, coz i was pretty useless otherwise). Morning school would start off courtesy board examinations for class X.
Morning school was like the unofficial end of the year. We all knew it. We just had the exams in our way. In our way to two months of bliss. Exams also meant exam-pad cricket after an exam got over(if the next day was a holiday).
It was that anticipation that made life interesting back then. The sign of good things to come. And the best part about the summer break was that it never disappointed. It always arrived on time. And always got along with it, loads of time to chill and while away. Summer camp, swimming classes, plastic-ball cricket, board games, WWF on TV, Video Games,Hollywood flicks, novels and relative visits - summarized a typical summer.
Having a source of anticipation makes living easier. And although I don't have the summer break to look forward to, I'll have to figure out ways to enjoy the summer to come. Here's to another Hyderabadi summer that I shall conquer. Three cheers.
Its actually been quite a while since I spent an entire summer in Hyderabad. I'd lived the first 16 years of my life in Hyd(school and Intermediate here only). Ever since, I've had a vagabond-ish existence (over the last 8 to 9 years). Its been quite an experience living in so many different places. Now that I've moved back to Hyd (courtesy an amazing job change that was initially frowned upon by all and sundry), it almost feels like I've gone back in time.
The last time I'd spent a summer in Hyderabad was in 2003. Cruel heat, cruel-er engineering college entrance examinations and relentless peer-pressure. Anyone who has prepared for IIT-JEE in AP knows what I am talking about.
However, sans that particular summer, the ones prior to that one were totally memorable. Summer meant morning schools, exams, vacations, gully cricket, holiday homework, movies, swimming, Monopoly, tennis, and wearing total-ventilation-garments(the banian-chaddi existence) all day. Summer meant two months of carefree existence coupled with aeons of time to kill.
The beginning of summer was always marked by the bright morning light right from 6 AM. Being a light-sleeper, I'd wake up with the first jolt of bright light. The morning air would feel different. The TV shows would change. The drinking water timings would change(filling water was my chore, coz i was pretty useless otherwise). Morning school would start off courtesy board examinations for class X.
Morning school was like the unofficial end of the year. We all knew it. We just had the exams in our way. In our way to two months of bliss. Exams also meant exam-pad cricket after an exam got over(if the next day was a holiday).
It was that anticipation that made life interesting back then. The sign of good things to come. And the best part about the summer break was that it never disappointed. It always arrived on time. And always got along with it, loads of time to chill and while away. Summer camp, swimming classes, plastic-ball cricket, board games, WWF on TV, Video Games,Hollywood flicks, novels and relative visits - summarized a typical summer.
Having a source of anticipation makes living easier. And although I don't have the summer break to look forward to, I'll have to figure out ways to enjoy the summer to come. Here's to another Hyderabadi summer that I shall conquer. Three cheers.
