The Red Pooler

This is a story of my elder born. She was around 5 months old when she experienced her first Indian summer. And she did not take it too well. She refused to sleep. It took us a while to realise that the increasing temperature had brought about the change in her sleeping habits. A friend helped us get a small cooler ( the person whoever conceived the idea deserves an award) and helped us set it up in our home. Since it was rather rusty it was painted the only colour that was available in the workshop and it turned out to be a nice bright shade of red. The cooler was installed and our little baby never kept us awake that summer. She called it the red pooler and we still often refer to the one we have now in those terms - though this one is a ghastly blue .

We are surviving the hot summer thanks to the cooler. I wonder how long the cooler will last. Not many are to be seen these days. Just like the mats of khus khus that were tied in the doorway ( when we were kids ). It had to be watered every few hours. The smell was heavenly and a slight breeze outside would pass through the mats bringing down room temperature.

All these have made way for the air conditioners. And those used to the modern cooling machines are no longer able to resist a slight rise in temperatures.

Aah the prosperous middle class. This must be the middle class that President Bush is now blaming for the spiralling food prices in the US.