Joni, Dida, and the Unforgiving Seasons

It was hot every year, but this year they had to close Joni’s school for an extra two months because of the heat. Mr Gokhale, the principal of City Public School, had looked particularly sweaty during the last morning assembly. As all the students stood in rows, Mr. Gokhale wiped his large forehead with his hanky and took the mic on the podium.

“Children, we have a special announcement. As you know, we are experiencing a difficult heatwave this year. That’s why the government has issued an order; all schools will remain closed until further notice. Your parents have been informed and your teachers will tell you about online classes. Don’t get too excited, you will still have your exams. So study hard and don’t think of this as an extended summer vacation, okay?”

A mixed murmur of joy and protest rippled across the hall.

“Silence!” Mr Gokhale barked into the mic, “Now we’ll carry on with the morning prayers. And please don’t forget to drink water and stay hydrated”.

That was two months ago.

Since then, twelve-year-old Joni had attended several online classes. At first, she enjoyed being at home. She could spend time with her dog, Rambo, but most of all, Joni liked hanging out with Dida, her grandmother, who would tell her colourful stories from her childhood in her native village.

But of late Joni had begun to feel restless. As the days dragged on and the sun beat down upon the city emptying the roads of people and even animals, Joni longed for school and meeting her friends in person. Of course she had video chats with them almost every day but it was not the same as meeting them daily and chatting with them after class.

Gradually, even Rambo’s walks got shorter and Papa would bring him back within five minutes of stepping out. Poor Rambo, he too looked depressed.

“Don’t be sad, Rambo”, Joni consoled him, patting his furry head as he panted dolefully at her, “we are all in this together. I am missing my outings too”.

One morning, Joni woke up in her bed with sweat streaming down her forehead. When she sat up, she realised her nightdress and bedsheet were soaked in sweat too. As Joni walked into the living room, she could see that her Mummy, Papa, and Dida were huddled together, their faces serious and concerned. Papa was fanning himself with a thin magazine, while Mummy had a worried look on her face. Dida, as always, had a calm presence, but even she seemed a little troubled.

“Mummy, Papa, what’s going on?” Joni asked with curiosity.

Mummy looked up, her eyes softening when she saw Joni. “Oh, Joni, you’re awake? We were just discussing the situation. It seems that the heatwave is getting worse. The AC in your room has stopped working because of the electricity overload. You will sleep with Dida from tonight until we can get an electrician to fix this.”

Joni knew what a heatwave was, they had discussed it in class. She also knew that this year’s heatwave was worse than last year’s. From what she had read online and in class, it was getting hotter with each passing year. People and animals were dying and she had also heard of water shortage in different parts of the city. This filled Joni with worry.

That night, as she carried her pillow to Dida’s room, her mind was filled with concern about the heatwave, water shortage, and the friends she was missing.

“Dida, can I ask you something?” Joni whispered in the dark lying next to her grandmother whose breath always smelled of sweet paan and betelnut.

“Yes, little Jonaki,” Dida replied.

Dida had always called her by her full name which meant ‘firefly’. Dida had named her after the fireflies that used to light up the front yard at night in her old village home. “Dida, was it cooler in your village, the one where you grew up?” Joni asked.

“It always rained heavily in my village.” Dida said gently.

“That must’ve been nice. It has barely rained here this year, even lesser than last year. I like the rains; everything looks so green and fresh after it rains. Now it is all so dry, brown and dusty. Did you and your friends like playing in the rain?”

Dida did not say anything for a few seconds. Then she sighed and ran her fingers through Joni’s hair.

“Yes, we did. When the rain was pleasant, we would all go out and splash about in the rain—me, my older sister and younger brother. But you know, it wasn’t always pleasant.”

“What do you mean, Dida?” Joni asked, “Rain is always nice. Miss Mandal, our class teacher, said that it might rain any day now and then this heatwave will be over. That’s why, me and my friends are eagerly waiting for the rain.”

“Yes, Jonaki, the rain is wonderful.” Dida replied softly, “But sometimes, the rains can be angry too, just like this heat. Our village was very close to the river. Just like the heat now, there were times the rains wouldn’t stop in our village. It would rain heavily for days and nights, sometimes weeks. When that happened, the water would spill from the river onto our village. It would enter our homes and sometimes even wash them away. At times people and cattle would be washed away too, and we would have to rebuild everything afterwards.” Joni sat up, intrigued by what Dida was saying. Of course, she had heard about floods in different parts of the country, but she had never imagined that Dida had experienced it so closely. When Dida spoke of her village, she never mentioned the floods or angry rains. Joni wondered why.

Dida sensed this and went on.

“Are you wondering why I never mentioned all this to you before?”

Joni nodded in the dark.

“The floods were very difficult for us. Every year, the river got angrier and took away some part of our village. Then a time came when it took a large part of my father’s farm too. That is when he decided to sell the land that was left and shifted the family to a town, away from the big river and angry rains. I was seventeen at that time. I had to start a new life away from all my friends and my beloved village.”

Joni lay beside Dida, her mind swirling with all that she had just heard. She tried to weave together Dida’s past with their current reality. Today, a relentless heatwave was scorching the city, halting life in its tracks. In the past, heavy rains and a river had swept away Dida’s home, driving her family to rebuild their lives elsewhere. Joni pondered how many were now fleeing the city because of the heatwave, abandoning all they cherished. Joni knew that not everyone in the city had ACs, 24X7 electricity or water supply. How must they be dealing with this horrid heatwave?

A week later, the city welcomed its first true rain of the season, a downpour that continued by fits and starts but lasted for a whole week. The weather reports announced the end of the heatwave and her friends celebrated over video chat, eagerly anticipating the joy of meeting in person once more.

Joni took Rambo out for a walk through the rain-slicked streets of her colony, revelling in the gentle drizzle and cool breeze. The smell of freshly washed soil and trees washed over her senses. When Joni stepped back into her flat, she found Dida standing alone in the balcony, silently observing the tree outside sway in the wind. Joni slipped out into the balcony and gently wrapped her arms around her grandmother, and they both quietly watched the rain together.