How about missing the winter!

Weeks before the impression had been that the winter has finally arrived but now suddenly it seems to be leaving hurriedly as if it came to a wrong place at a wrong time. But it was not supposed to be so. After all, it is the last week of the Bangla month Poush. According to the local calendar here Poush and Magh are the moths when the winter should be setting in full force. In fact the early indication has proved deceptive. When the cold weather mixed with fog tentatively started chilling the environment, it was a perfect setting. But then for more than two weeks now, the fog has disappeared and chill in the air gone.

This is a phenomenon perhaps never experienced before. At this time of the year, reversal of the weather is not on the cards. People are likely to wonder what has gone wrong with the planet! Keen observers who keep a tab on the natural phenomena should know that over the past few weeks weather has not complied with the set order in large swathes of the Earth. In the United States of America, tornadoes have wreaked havoc, so have floods in South America and Britain.

The floods are the worst in Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil and Uruguay in 50 years. In Britain too, flooding this time is unusual. The floods follow severe storms on Yemen on the one hand and Mexico on the other. What has induced excessive rainfall and the subsequent flooding is the influence of the strongest ever El Nino, experts agree.

This means that the El Nino has also influenced the weather in this part of the world. When sea air heats up, it causes storms or cyclones. But at the same time it sends out temperature all around to raise temperature. It is because the winter seems to have been disrupted here.

Evidently, the planet is behaving erratically. But blaming it would be wrong. The mirror should be focused on the peoples inhabiting it. The image it is likely to reflect will surely flabbergast all who refuse to accept that man is responsible for most of the natural calamities that is visiting lands and nations.

What will happen then to the winter? Will Bangladesh pass at least a year without this hostile season to the poor? Well, the poor will definitely feel better off without chill of the winter. But a missing winter can have serious repercussion on the ecology, human life, livelihoods and crops. A less biting winter may even be welcome to others who are idle and avoid cold water. But its long-term effect can be very pernicious.

Imagine the date juice that gives the best of flavour if the winter is strong. Poor quality date juice means molasses without the usual taste and texture. Part of the Bangalee culture in the winter will have disappeared for ever. The bhapa pitha, now an urban delicacy, is but a poor replication of the rich and mouth-watering varieties of pithas prepared in rural areas with unadulterated molasses.

Crop failure is feared if the winter is simply mild or does not set in at all. Even a year's absence can cause enough damage. But if the trend continues for a few years, the outcome may be disastrous. So in the interest of the planet's health, there is need for both the summer and the winter. Of course, the severest form of either of those is unwelcome. But at least the trend they have set over the centuries should continue in order to set things in order.

Apparently it seems the Earth is not at peace with itself. In fact, man is not at peace with himself. If man puts his acts together, things can definitely improve for the world. The Paris climate deal more than ever showed where things went wrong. It is a collective responsibility to slash the omnivorous consumerism in order to take off the pressure from this one planet man is living in.