Its blazing hot in Lucknow, with hot winds blowing throughout the day which are hot enough to cook you up if continually exposed to it. Weather department
is busy giving predictions of the upcoming wrath of Sun. With temperature nearing 45 degree Celsius, Lucknow is looming the hot May of 1999 when it touched the same mark, and still remains the hotter months of June and July. The hot winds that are locally called ‘looh’ can dry-steam your body parts that are left uncovered and covering them again makes you feel uncomfortable w But that’s not a news people living in this part of the world are well aware of this. There are two things that are making me write on the summers of Lucknow. First is the qualifying examinations conducted by so many examining bodies during this time, and second one is a news from a local newspaper. ithin.
- Everyone in this part of the country is potentially aware of the aftermaths of this season and that is why the local governing bodies ensure closure of all the schools. The ‘Looh’ can kill a person, and it kills every year, real figures of death are never known. Ironically the school children only are to be protected against this wrath of sun. What about those undergraduate students? Are they to suffer when this situation can be avoided? Conducting an examination is a necessity but why without even caring a bit for the examinees? Maybe because the decisions are made in air-conditioned rooms. I am taking up the example of Uttar Pradesh Technical University students, they are taking examinations in this hot summers, the shifts prescribed are 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and then from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. The first shift is still a better option but once the sun gets vertical on your head after the noon the heat becomes unbearable. Most of these examination centers are located at the peripheries of a city; the average travel time to these examination centers is 2 hours. That too, when you have to reach by 2:00 PM you will have to start on or before 12:00 noon. How can they take up examination with all ease and freshness when their body is not at all at ease or cannot be at ease?
- At least one Newspaper in Lucknow is hell-bent to make you feel at ease, most probably erroneously. I was shocked to see the temperature column of this newspaper which showed maximum temperature in Lucknow on 23 May 2014 to be 16.4 degree Celsius and minimum temperature to be 8.6 degree Celsius minimum. Adding to this was the headlines next to it stating that temperature has reached 44.3 degree Celsius and citizens are baffled by regular power cuts. If done in all good humor, its not the place to be humorous, if at all it was a mistake then mind who is doing the proof reading. Nevertheless it was a very cool news.
