Summer is in full swing. Every season has its own charm if proper precautions are taken to enjoy it. The spring is announced by vendors selling seasonal fruits. Olive plums i.e. berries of all sorts, big and small, falsa and shah toot galore. Though short lived, spring is full of fragrance with leaves in hues of greens complementing the seasonal flowers in all colours of VIBGYOR. The visiting and local birds celebrate by dancing around their mates and feeding the broods with a rich menu of pests.

With the rising mercury trying to break previous records, initially all feel melancholic and eventually gather morale for the events to come. Fish and other meats no longer appeal the palates. Pickles of mango and lemon with green chilies and a mix of black aniseed and coriander preserved in mustard oil are used as the main dish to munch bread with. Salads with cucumber and green mint serve as digestive supplements. The stress is on vegetarian diet for which various gourds, okra, pumpkin, brinjals and other greens are available. Melon and watermelon are also very soothing.

Summers offer a variety of fruits and vegetables. Grapes both dark red and light green, lychee, loquat, mangoes, apricots, peaches, guava, custard apple, cheeku, pears, lasurha, plum, cherry, raspberry and strawberry are some of the summer delights.

Instead of hot milk, a cold yogurt drink (lassi) is preferred. Bathing frequently is the norm, and many venture out for a swim in the now-polluted canal.

Summer clothing is mostly white cotton and lightweight, almost see-through. A sola pith hat, or a felt cap, or a pagri, is a necessary shield against piercing heat emanating from the concrete jungle. Carrying an umbrella has now become too cumbersome. A wet towel is a good protection against heat stroke.

The Walled City has virtually no trees. Its narrow streets cast deep shadows and every cul-de-sac traps the wind coming from the river on its north producing a cooling effect. All these houses were built in pre-electricity days. Yet, despite being small, they have lots of ventilation and the wooden elements in their façades block the heat.

Once the city expanded outside its ancient walls, great care was taken to plant trees along the roads, besides retaining the ancient ones. Thus, the summers were not unpleasant. Things started changing for the worse with our intervention in built environment and cutting down of the green umbrellas.

Tree plantation campaigns are more for photo sessions as mortality of plants is not audited. New ways had to be adopted to combat rising temperatures. Foods, drinks and clothing had to conform to the new dictates.

Cold drinks, the various colas, protect one against dehydration. Venders of ice creams and kulfi of various brands and tastes do a roaring business. Earlier, soda water from Rustam and UP companies with lemon, mint, ice-cream soda, banana and other flavours were very popular. Ice-cream in rose, vanilla, chocolate and other flavours was also popular.

Summer days are the longest and nights the shortest. It is the piercing sun that wakes one up early in the morning. The nights are sometimes spent waiting for some cool breeze. People once used to sleep at rooftops over beds woven with wheat husk. Very little bedding was used to allow flow of air. Initial couple of hours used to be very restless. Heat absorbed by the brick walls and floor during the day would radiate producing an uncomfortable restlessness.

Based on Nicholson Road, not far from the cinemas on McLeod Road, we were routinely awoken at the end of the last (9pm) show. Tonga drivers would compete to attract passengers and customers. Gradually all turned calm and quiet.

Around midnight, a starry night was an experience to remember. Sometimes a falling star leaving behind a trail of lit debris in the boundless skies would catch attention of sleepy eyes. A team of flamingoes or cranes in triangular formation led by one already familiar with the route would make one wonder as to how these birds travelled thousands of miles only to be shot over our land. They would flap their wings constantly without producing any noise.

As the cool breeze started blowing, drowsiness would make one forget the hand fan which would slip and fall down. In this pure air environment, a few hours’ sleep sufficed and one would get up early in the morning, fresh and hearty. Of course, it was pre-air conditioning era. It was still safe to sleep under the open skies without fear of criminal intruders. Firing into the air was unheard of.

As water cooled in earthen pitchers, one would frequently seek it to quench one’s thirst. Much before the daybreak roosters would compete each with their own sequence, all identifiable by their vocals though never physically seen or introduced.

Call for the morning prayers had an additional appeal: it is better to say prayers than to sleep. Many would get up to say their prayers. An early morning walk is best therapy for all our ailments. Some people who owned canines would take them along. A walk over the Lawrence Garden hills, which were once kilns that baked billions of bricks for the city, was very refreshing for the eyes and lungs. The lions roaring from the zoological gardens too played their role in waking up the late risers. On one’s way back, a yogurt drink from a milk shop would be rejuvenating.

The narration may appear to be an exaggeration or a fairy tale to the new generation. The heating up of the city is mostly man-made, and so is the climate change. We shall dwell on that later. The Indus Water Treaty caused the death of the Ravi which cannot be revived in the oxygen tent of RUDDA. The cutting of green cover and the depletion of water table are the main culprits. Our energy crisis did not stop people using air conditioners. Now people do not get up early, they steal electricity.

Street crime now prevents people from sleeping at the roof tops. Moreover, firing in the air can result in a bullet landing at one’s body. Earthen water pitchers are no longer an option because water comes in plastic bottles. Roosters and lions are no longer paid heed to. Only diehard morning walkers can be seen in places like the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park. Instead of the traditional summer diet, junk food is the preferred body fuel.

(This dispatch is dedicated to tailor master, Fazl Elahi)

The writer is a painter, a founding member of Lahore Conservation Society and Punjab Artists Association, and a former director of the NCA Art Gallery. He can be reached at ajazart@brain.net.pk