It's too hot to be human
#438 | This is just a preview
Complaining about summer heat has become an integral part of my personality. I always had strong feelings about hot weather and humidity, but the same group of colleagues with whom I write this newsletter pointed out to me last year that these feelings had taken centre stage in the content of my conversations with other people.
Anyway, now that I know, I'm leaning into it fully. I live in Kolkata, and unless you're some superhuman entity that has meditated away their bodily sensations, you are definitely FEELING THE HEAT. At the time of writing, there's a heat wave ongoing, with no end in sight. Bengal has always had its hot summers, but its current avatar has been made possible by the one and only phenomenon known as Global Warming!
Is today's Thing just a long rant? Mostly yes. But there is an actual Thing at the end of this. Before I clue you in, I want to take this opportunity to list two things (I wanted to list at least three things, but I genuinely couldn't go beyond two) that I actually like about summer. At this point, this is a mental health exercise. Nevertheless, I would like you to be part of it:
1. Mangoes, allllll of them mangoes. Earlier, I was biased towards mangoes that grow in the rich and fertile soils of Bengal, but I have since decided to expand the horizons of my palate and open my heart to the possibility that mangoes from other parts of South Asia are also great. I want to taste as many different varieties of mangoes as possible.
2. Norwesters. We Bengalis have romanticized the hell out of Norwesters in our songs, poetry, novels and paintings - and of course, we have! Name a better feeling than the first draft of cool wind after a mind-numbingly humid day on your face, followed by the gradual appearance of grey clouds on the horizon, accompanied by the sound of rustling leaves and flapping window panes.
Apart from mangoes and northwestern, I don't know what else summer offers that doesn't crush your soul and kill your desire to live. And I'll tell you something right now. It's only going to get worse. So much worse.
Today's thing is the climate handbook from Probable Futures, a close look at the unprecedented situation we have created.
You can also check out their climate maps, which tell a damning story about where we're headed.
Stay strong.