Karthi’s winter bundobust

4, Dec-2001.

THE onset of winter once again brought alive in my memory my friend Karthikeyan, a cool guy who worked in my office. Literally cool. No pun intended since he came from South and was left to fend for himself in the “shivering North”, thanks to his posting in the country’s capital.

He met me last year in September, rubbing his palms against each other to generate some heat for himself while sauntering in the corridor. We stopped for a while to greet each other when I noticed he was feeling some cold: “What, are you coming from the Boss’s air-conditioned chamber?”, I asked him. “No, sir, it is just like that…” and he literally translated the local Hindi syntax of vaise - hee shreeman ji!

“You aren’t suffering a pre-malaria shivering and clattering of teeth, are you?” I asked a little concerned. “No, sir, no, it is like that only”, again he repeated and added: “I am feeling a little cold”. “In September?” I queried, a little surprised, “what will become of you in December-January, my dear?” I tried to cut a joke and he informed me that he had made all the arrangements for the impending winters. I asked him if had got made some new razais (quilts). “What is that?” and I informed him about the stitched cotton wrap, which is a weakness for the North Indians to slip into and curl up, at the smallest opportunity available during the winters.

When I did not see Karthikeyan in October for some days, I enquired about his well being from my colleagues, who told me that he had gone to his native place to leave his wife there for she would not stay in Delhi anymore apprehending the intensity of the imminent cold wave conditions said to be prevalent in winters.

First week of November arrived and Karthikeyan was back to his work. He met me in my office and appeared a little bulkier. I again cracked a joke: “You have put on weight being at your village, haven’t you!” “No, sir, it is the body warmers that I am wearing in layers …ha ha ha …!”, he giggled. I offered him tea and he said he would have it in a glass instead of a cup and again grinned. I saw him holding the glass wearing the gloves thereby getting a feeling of some warmth. While parting, he offered me some date palms and groundnuts saying that he was enlightened by one of his North Indian colleagues that they helped in giving inner body heat for immunity against cold.

During December I could not interact with Karthikeyan since I too, like all other government functionaries was enjoying the bliss of exhausting the casual leaves. Then suddenly on New Year Day, I noticed Karthikeyan entering my office wearing a monkey cap when I immediately called out the attendant to bring a set of hot tea, as fast as he could.

“Oh, nice to see you Karthi”, I welcomed and greeted him with a “Happy New Year” and he too reciprocated very warmly as if in reciprocation itself he would generate some heat for himself and transfer some to me holding my hand for an unusually long and irritating duration. “You look as if you are coming after experiencing a snowfall. Did you visit some hill station during the winter vacations, or…!” “No, sir,” he cut me short, “I have made a quilt for myself. Besides, in fact, I have brought back my wife and we are comfortable”, he smiled mischievously at me.

A hot guy indeed and I had been foolishly taking him to be a real cold one. I noticed Karthi unlayering most of his wrappings for “inner warmth” and he looked to be normal once again in the month of February. With the onset of March, I didn’t see my friend for about a week. And when he turned up later he informed me while mysteriously smiling at me, “Sir, although I have managed my deputation to Chennai for the coming three years but I’ll give you a good news by this year end!” What I guessed at that time was perhaps right!

K. Rajbir Deswal