Power outage and Me.

 

Since our home in Kerala is in the middle of a thottam (roughly translated as in the middle of nowhere or rubber plantation), we have frequent power outage. Either a silly rubber tree would fall on the lines snapping it or the Electricity board will switch off power if there is heavy rain and thunder(and in Kerala we have 8 months of rain, where 3 months its continuous). So you can imagine how much time is left to have full time electricity supply. No you can’t, because during the summer season, since the water level is low at dams, we have load shedding during nights. On a good day they shed load for 30 minutes in our area which is, well not bad.

But sometimes it gets worse when the KSEB employee forget to switch it back on and then we have to get an influential person, which happens to be my neighbor who is also in the police to call them (names) and request(threaten) to turn it back on.

 

Once I got a job and moved out, I used to visit my home only twice a month, and that’s when I get frustrated with the frequent power cuts. My dad used to make fun of me, saying that I bring ill luck, because it’s only when I come for visiting the power cuts happen. Rest of the days they do have UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply).

 

I think he is right, because somedays when I press the calling button or when I come closer to it, I can see the lights going off inside! Yes it’s another power cut. Sometimes when I call my parents over the phone, the power goes off at their place.

It’s got to be me. I am ill luck as far as the Kerala State Electricity Board is concerned.

 

My brother also agrees with my Dad on this. He says it’s me. If I stop visiting on weekends, may be he can enjoy his cup of chai with a movie. If I come home, he can just enjoy the chai with no movie.

 

During rainy seasons it okay as the weather is cooler, but during the summer, without power is like hell. Its difficult to sleep in a sweaty bed and everyone curse me for coming home ! L

 

And I believed them.

 

Once my brother came to Bangalore for a visit. We went out for shopping the whole day, and when we were shopping at THE FORUM, the power went off at the Shopping mall. My wife recalled how the power at Spencer Mall in Chennai went off when we visited there once.

 

When we came back the power was out at our place.

That was the first time since I came to Bangalore the power was out for such a long time. I cursed myself. Or is it our combination, me and my brother that bring ill luck to the BESCOM (or Bangalore Electricity company) ? He insists it’s still me. I did not try changing his mind; well all odds were against me.

 

That’s when he went to the US. His week at the hotel went smooth and I occasionally call him over google talk or voip.

Yesterday I called him over voip and the line was not connecting. Funny,I thought and send him an email instead.

 

This is the reply I got.

 

“The power was out here for the entire day, some truck hit the power station at the hotel and they took all day to fix it, the phone lines were out too”

 

Either it’s me or it’s the combination.

 

Or is it him? J I would love to believe its him.

Tags: Home, Me, Myself, Power Outage