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Friday, March 29 2024
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The heat is on, on the street, in your head, on every beat!

Hot summer is impacting day to day life
Photo Credit : Pixabay

“The heat is on, on the street, inside your head, on every beat, And the beat’s so loud, deep inside; The pressure’s high, just to stay alive, ‘Cause the heat is on!” This is an extract from the lyrics of the song “the heat is on” from the “Beverly Hills Cop” Soundtrack. I quote it because it is spot on when it comes to our lives today!

The heat is on, every which way – whether, wonder, and wither – wealth, wisdom, war, work, weather, wiretapping, and wrath! Maybe the weather does bring out the wacko in some of us before we can whack it! Like a full moon, and that’s where the danger lies! Look in the mirror and check for signs – or read the newspapers…

They call it a heat wave, but there’s nothing wavy about it. Its relentless. It does not flow and ebb like the waves of the sea. It just flows; like at a rave? If you are in the coastal areas, then “SET WET” hair gel is redundant. If you are in the interior, where you have never seen the sea, then, “SET WET” hair gel must be abundant.

If unavailable, shave your head and fry an egg – if you can afford to buy one, forget the dozen you used to buy! With the prices of LPG, now entering the same weather zone that we are in, and commercial LPG crossing Rs: 2K, its best you do that if you need the protein, and in this weather, maybe you do!

Normally it’s the film stars and the models that are referred to as hot! That’s what we are used to! Now everyone has a chance. Equality is here! Because everyone’s feeling hot, everyone’s feeling the heat! There’s no need to worry about donning the wet look, or the open shirt look. All you need to do is tighten your belt, but that the government is doing for you; both the wet look and open shirt look are natural in this weather. Just take a selfie, share it on Instagram and you will be a Hot Star – Disney + Hotstar. That can get you started in life!

So, the heat is not all bad. Of course, you might get a fatal heat stroke if you are not careful. But that is perhaps a positive, when the heat is on, on the street, inside your head, and the pressure builds with every heartbeat! All you need is a positive stroke!

But there are different strokes for different folks even when the heat is on, equally, like it was with the Corona Virus. Some have their own air conditioners like they did hospital beds; some have the Taxpayer’s air conditioners. And they use them, while they can, when they can. It’s cool to do that. It’s also very cooling. Little do they realize, or maybe they realize a lot, and just don’t care, that they are stepping up the heat…outside…and for future generations. How can you expect anything different, when the Climate Change Strategy Conference itself is held in air-conditioned halls in a cold country?

Interestingly though, the powerful seem to have kept the cooling effect on climate change in mind; so good of them! Happiness is when wisdom does prevail or is forced to prevail! The powerful have not been able to provide power to power the air-conditioners of the powerful! Making them and RK Laxman’s Common Man absolutely powerless! Some use generators, when power, and the powerful fail them, but fueling them is another challenge altogether. Let’s not get into that, because that will fuel another article in its entirety, and mind you, it will be incremental. This line is just eighty paise’s worth!

Some though, have nothing but the shade of a tree, not even a roof over their head to keep them from losing their cool. They scramble for a living selling lime juice to quench the thirst of fellow travelers. But the cost of limes has peaked at over Rs: 250 a kilo. So, no roof, no livelihood, but they are alive. They live, because they have to and because they have something to aspire to in their unequal world! They used to follow that old phantom saying – when Life throws lemons at you, make lemonade. They want to, but now they can’t; All they can do, is sit in the shade, and hope they won’t fade. Limes though, are the new target of thieves. They actually carry them on their getaway vehicles for good luck after stealing them!

So, some have air-conditioners, some hair conditioners, some both, and some are in no condition to have either. The universe is unequal; it is the order of the Universe that we humans have perfected into an art form! We like it that way. Inequality is the key to power. How can you exercise power if you don’t have anyone to exercise it on? The heat is on, always on, on those that cannot combat it!  A prime example is the seating arrangement at the PM’s independence Day address in the Capital of all places!

To quote the Borgen project, “India is the second most unequal country in the world, with 55 percent of income going to the top 10 percent of its population. According to the Homeless World Cup, there were about 1.8 million homeless individuals living in India as of 2019.” The Article goes on to say, “Despite the alarming numbers, the country is making progress to combat homelessness and poverty in India. Each day, forty-four people come out of poverty through the work of government initiatives.” They come out of poverty – but where do they go? They go up; In an unequal world, forty-four others take their place, hoping and trying by hook or by crook for a change of circumstances and when they are stuck in the rut longer than they had planned for, like a stuck record they sing the song, Count your blessings! Melodiously of course!

So, we are trying, the government is trying, but inequality will never go away, because we, and governments,’ need to perpetuate it, to enjoy its benefits. Those on the bottom end of the ladder too would not like it vanish, else what incentive is there for them to climb the ladder? And so often, we substitute equality with equity. It soothes our conscience. You have an aspiration; you are given an EQUAL opportunity. Whether you use it or waste it, it’s your call. Sometimes if it’s a recruitment fraud, someone else takes the call! Like the IPL, you prepare well, but lose out in the last over! That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

There was talk of uniform earlier, and what it entailed. Committees were formed to prescribe it, verbattle for it in court, and court arrest for it. Now that’s all well, that ends in the well, an ity has been added. Uniformity. Uniformity is the new battle cry. This is direct contrast to the law of inequality prescribed by the universe, and proscribed, albeit, through lip syncing by humans.

Uniformity in everything – Civil code, Education, Election, Employment, Evangelism, emotion even, but not in money. A uniform civil code aims to make a fish fly, a bird swim, and an elected representative stand in a queue! These are noble aims that are being aimed at. Only hope that nobody lands up in AIIMS, in pursuance of this objective.

In contrast, how nice it would perhaps be, if by law, we all had the same amount of money – both in terms of liquid and solid assets – in our pockets? Uniform Wallet Code I would call it and it will make all other calls for uniformity redundant, because money is the mother of all inequality! Let’s give it a try, if we truly want equality and not just equity that goes beyond the stock market!

Given man’s natural will to survive, not live, it may not be too much to expect you to be careful not to go out in the hot sun. Do so only if you must, to sustain your livelihood, your life, and perhaps, if you are called upon by the powerful to be a part of a procession, or to pelt stones, or maybe attend a political rally!  Heat is an element that is necessary to forge metals of caliber such as steel. But are we people of steel, who can withstand the heat? Or will we all melt like Cadbury’s silk? Well, the heat is on, let’s find out!

If you are down to reading the last paragraph of this article, then perhaps you might have found a cool place to read it. It’s a cool article too; also, a cool me down article. Necessary, when the heat is on!

Cool it Man!


Disclaimer

This Article is written in the lighter vein. It hopes to bring a smile to your face, and you must not ascribe motives to its contents. There is no connection to events and characters in real life and if perchance you find a connect with any such real-life event or character, rest assured its purely coincidental.

Image by Gerd Altmann & Isabela Isa

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Brian Fernandes

Brian is an alumnus of Roshni Nilaya’s Post Graduate School of Social Work, HR Department and has 30 years of local and international HR and General Management experience. Journalism, poetry, and feature writing is a passion which he is now able to pursue at will. Additionally, he loves compering and hosting talk shows. He loves learning and imparting it; so, when time permits, he provides leadership facilitation and soft skills training to Postgraduate students and Corporates in Mangaluru and Bengaluru. Besides, he is an accomplished Toastmaster under the aegis of Toastamasters.org and a designated Distinguished Toast Master.

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