The author then shows the effect of this heat on any and everything in Shahkot in a very graphic manner. The extreme heat in Shahkot has caused the roads to melt; the nectar to turn alcoholic; the policeman lay under the shade of the banana groves, unable to do their duty. The judge bribed his way to Copenhagen and the tourists preferred to sit in their hotel rooms. The author gives a clear picture and a very vivid description of the kind of distress the heat has caused to everyone in the city. The author makes sure that the situation doesn’t seem grim hence she never tells of any extreme suffering. In fact she lightens the mood by constantly humoring the reader with situations like:
- It burned the Malhotra's daughter far too dark for a decent marriage
- The heat softened and spread the roads into sticky pools of pitch and melted the grease in the Brigadier's moustache so that it drooped and uncurled, casting shadows on his fine, crisp presence
- They rested their heads against the coolness of melons before cutting into them, held glasses against cheeks and foreheads between sips, fanned themselves at the stove with bunches of spinach before letting go reluctantly, for the sake of the evening meal
These situations also show us the fate of the common people and the little habits, such as holding spinach against their face before cooking it, that they had to develop because of the heat. The summer grew worse as time passed and people didn’t have too many resources, a fan seemed like a luxury and family ties were forgotten in the scramble to get the seat under the fan, which seemed like a throne. Shahkotians had reached the brink of desperation as they ‘raided’ shops for anything that would help them cope with the heat like leaf fans and blocks of ice. Cleary the heat had a massive effect on the common man and they were desperate to escape the heat.
The author has given a clear and graphic description of the heat and its effects. She has used very powerful, descriptive and emotive words giving the reader a clear picture of the gravity of the situation in Shahkot. She clearly shows desperations creeping into the Shahkotians by using words like ‘argued (for a spot under the fan)’ and ‘raided’.
As September arrived there were no signs of rain and the people had lost hope of any redemption from this heat. There were relief camps set up in the west of Shahkot, Red Cross flew supplies across the city and the government opened shops that sold ration. Shahkot was now officially suffering a famine. The rations of rice and lentils grew smaller and smaller as time wore on. The amount of food available reduced and the prices sky rocketed. But the author never allows the situation to seem grim and depressive; she humours the readers once again with the funny situation of the butcher- “Finally the poor butcher had to eat them himself, and after the last one, he was forced to turn vegetarian like the rest of the town.”
Finally the rains arrive and the Shahkotians are ecstatic and celebrate the rains they had much awaited. The rains came as a surprise as they had all lost hope. Their jubilation at the coming of the rains was because it was the end of the suffering and the horrible heat. Their reaction displays the number of problems they faced because of the heat and their celebration was a reaction to those problems, suffering and frustration.
The author has described the heat very vividly and graphically. She has paid attention to minute details and given complete descriptions of the heat. She has shown the problems major and minor being caused to the people thus enhancing the effect of her descriptions. Also she has used long sentences while describing the heat and it’s effects and this adds weightage to every word in her description and as the reader reads slowly through these long sentences the heat feels hotter. On the other hand she has used short sentences when it’s supposed to funny as it gives an effect of lightness. The purpose of the humour is to make sure the book is not grim and that the reader doesn’t feel sad while reading the description of the torrid heat. On the whole I feel the description of the heat in the first chapter is very effective, enough to make me want to switch on the air conditioner while reading it.
