Letter From Boston
Waiting For Snow
This year winter has not been very generous to us living in Boston. I, a grown up, look forward to snow, just as children do, because snow days are often declared as holidays: no school, no work, no classes and no appointments. You stay at home, drink tea or coffee, watch TV or go on the Internet, listen to music, or do whatever you please. Snow days are unscheduled holidays, and are always welcome, at least to me. However, we haven't seen a single snow day this winter season, and winter is almost over! Last winter, we had seen many snow cancellations, and on an average we get 12 inches of snow in January and February. So far, it has snowed only once in the last two months, and that too only a dusting. It has been 5 to 6 degrees warmer than normal every month since October of last year, and November, December, and January have been the least snowy since recording began in 1938. The media, and the Internet are full of stories about the dry winter and lack of business for the ski areas and snow plough operators. I am not much of a skier, but I like going downhill on a snow-tube or a sleigh. But this winter, I have been completely idle! No cleaning the cars, shoveling snow from the driveway, or clearing snow from the eaves and decks! Of course, one could argue that the lack of snow has spared my weary bones from hard, "back-breaking" labor. But, I would liketo remind my interlocutor that I am putting on weight this winter since snow-shoveling is my regular, and most convenient, mode of exercise during this season! My reader might ask, "So you are experiencing a mild winter, isn't that good? What are you complaining about?" I would admit that my readers have a valid point. A lack of snow, or "white stuff" as the locals refer to it, and milder weather, is welcome for many. Some of my South Asian friends have teased me to go to Europe if I was eager to experience some cold air on my face or try on my new snow boots. Europe, as some of my readers might be aware, has had one of the worst winters in recent memory, with hundreds of deaths, and has witnessed snowfalls at unprecedented levels. In the USA, these types of bone-chilling winters only happen in Alaska, and New Englanders are fortunately spared such assaults by Mother Nature. But coming back to my main theme, I like the ups and downs of seasons, whether in New England or in Bangladesh. Although we have only four seasons here, unlike the six I was used to in Bangladesh, I like winter in Boston because that is the only time when it rains regularly unlike Bangladesh. On a rainy, or snowy, day, do I get the feel of monsoon, which I miss, and I can pretend that I am in Bangladesh. And, it hasn't rained much either this season. While I don't think I liked a rainy day much while I was growing up in Bangladesh, nowadays I love rainy days, real or imaginary, thanks to songs of Tagore that opened my eyes to the beauty of clouds, pitter patter on the roof, stuff falling down from the sky, and staying home, even if defeated by nature. In fact, my perception of the seasons has become sharper, and my appreciation of the turn of seasons so passionate as to border on love-fest, since I started to look at the seasons through Tagore's eyes. And, I bet, I am not the only one who opens up "Geeto Bitan" searching for the maestro's suitable rendition in the "prokritee" category whenever there are clouds in the horizon. As I wait for winter's clouds, I am constantly reminded of the poem "Abirbhab" by Tagore. The poet writes that he has been waiting since spring for the rains to come. I like to tell the snow clouds that I have been waiting since autumn (or 'fall" as they call it here) for the rains and snowy days to arrive. Alas in vain! The yearning for snow started just around Christmas. Most citizens, Christian or not, pine for a "White Christmas" with snow on the ground, and even better, covering the trees and roofs, giving the appearance of a white blanket. This year, that did not happen. And then came January, and with no snow in sight, some started to speculate whether it was the effect of global warming. But as soon as news media started flashing images from Europe, other theories started to emerge. Since my column is meant for a literary page, I do not wish to get into a detailed scientific discussion of this phenomenon. The latest explanation for the contrasting weather conditions in North America and Europe is the "jet stream" theory. It appears that most of this winter, an unusual jet stream pattern has kept the coldest air locked up in Alaska and also in much of Canada. A southbound dip in the jet stream brought record low temperatures in the USA and very heavy snowfall to parts of eastern and central Europe. So, disappointed New Englanders might have to usher in spring without much snow this time! On a literary note, "Waiting for snow" reminds me of Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot", in which two characters wait for a mysterious character Godot to make its appearance. In Boston, we appear to be waiting for Godot, and we have observed Ekushey, Valentine's Day, Groundhog Day, and Presidents Day, all winter holidays, and will probably observe 26th March, without any snow in sight. For my readers, a footnote on Groundhog Day. People living in Northeast states observe Groundhog Day on February 2nd. According to folklore, Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, comes out of its hibernation on this day, and if it is a cloudy day, it cannot see its shadow indicating a short winter. This year, Phil did not see its shadow, and we are expecting winter to be over soon. As for me, I say "enjoy winter while it lasts."
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