India, May 17 -- I recently received a meme that read, "har koi chaand se mohabbat karega toh suraj toh jalega hi na. ab jhelo 42 degree Celsius". It undoubtedly made me chuckle, for I, too, have always (and will always) loved the moon. Plus, sweltering summers have indeed arrived. Suddenly, it seems like it was an altogether another world/era when we were all bundled up in coats and jackets, sipping soups. Kids are suddenly relishing ice creams and chilled lemonades, all with the hitherto unavailable approving nods and smiles of the elders. Geysers shall remain off till the season shifts. Air conditioners are driving up electricity bills, and refrigerators are filling up with tropical fruits. Yes, summers have arrived. Summer holidays shall follow soon. The long, leisurely and relaxed days. When kids will be permitted to wake up late, no preparing tiffin and uniform, and no repeated reminders to set the bag for the next day. Just some intermittent cajoling to do the holiday homework. Grandparents would recount (hoping to spur the kids to action) that during their childhood they used to finish the entire holiday homework in the first two weeks of June so that they would get to enjoy the rest of the vacation wholly and wholesomely. The youngsters would listen smilingly and say that times have changed; leaving the elders temporarily perplexed and slightly defeated. There will also be difficulties in killing time. There would be rounds of monopoly, cards, dumb charades, ludo and carrom board, and early morning or late evening outdoor games. Also, it would always do well in the long run to let kids get bored sometimes. Psychologists favour optimum amounts of boredom so that the child becomes prepared for the often monotonous and repetitive life-family-and-workplace chores as an adult. But that's only the theoretical aspect. Practically it's a Herculean job to manage unoccupied kids. We elders, too, to counter boredom, would sometimes go shopping in the evening. And we would get ready for it as if attending an important occasion (which, no doubt, it would be). I remember complimenting a dear aunt once "aapke perfume ki bheeni bheeni khushboo bahut achchee hai" assuming she had purchased the scent on a similar summer shopping spree. She hilariously answered, "Garmiyon mein toh bheegi bheegi khushboo bolo beta." I am also fondly reminded of a male cousin who would wrap a cloth around his arms to prevent suntan around 20 years ago. We would tease him no end for his beauty solution(s). However, today maximum youngsters take precautions against the tan. Along similar lines, another meme that I received recently comes to my mind - Sun, in a humanised form, is wearing goggles and singing, "bachna aye haseeno, lo mai aa gaya" while two lasses, covered every inch to avoid the ultraviolet rays, are rushing in the opposite direction on their scooty! Ultimate creativity! Post summer break, July won't be any less scorching, and kids are going to be full of recess tales and water-cooler-related stories after school. "Mom, I got to sit directly below the ceiling fan/AC after the lunch break today", "Nanu, our group could timely claim the shady areas to play during recess today", so on and so forth. It takes great effort to convince my son to carry a handkerchief in his pocket. But he proudly boasts of being the first one to run to and reach the water cooler to wash away the sweat on his face. All 'garm-sard' avoidance lessons in vain! Kids do as their hearts please. Yet, all in all, the season infuses a lot of hope and positivity. As quoted by the well-known American author, Charles Bowden, "Summertime is always the best of what might be."...