Jaipur5 hours agoAuthor: Sameer Sharma
You must have heard about the heat in the desert, but for the last several days Rajasthan is shivering with cold. Every city has become a hill station. Somewhere the mercury is in minus, and somewhere the mercury is 1 degree. There is record winter in Rajasthan after 2 decades. After all, how does life go on in such a temperature? Dainik Bhaskar’s reporter had these same questions in his mind.
The first question was, have you ever seen or felt real winter?
Perhaps your answer would be- Yes, we are seeing it, but this is not the real winter. The real winter is that which we and you never see.
real cold Means the time from 12 in the night to 7 in the morning, when the winter is severe. Water starts becoming ice. Don’t have the courage to take your hand out of your pocket. The cold wind enters the shoes and makes the feet numb. We felt this real winter when we started the winter journey on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The journey started from Jaipur and ended in Fatehpur. Our destination was 165 kms away. As the journey progressed, the cold increased and the temperature decreased.
7°…6°…3°…1°…0°…-2°…-4°…-4.5°
In this journey, many characters battling with cold also came to the fore…
In a wedding, the groom was performing rituals wearing a blanket, while in a field, farmers were making water by melting snow for the crops. The youth was practicing running with the dream of becoming a soldier.
Read how life is freezing in Fatehpur, the coldest plains of the country…
Visuals of a wedding ceremony at Rinau in Fatehpur. Many people, including the groom, were trying to protect themselves from the cold by covering themselves with blankets, quilts and shawls.
This wedding and winter will always be remembered
We were in Fatehpur around five in the morning. The roads were deserted. The temperature was minus 2 degrees. Due to the end of Malamas two days ago, we saw the atmosphere of marriage here. A procession had come in the village. When he reached near, he came to know that the marriage is going on. During this, the baraati and groom’s in-laws sitting there were also covered with thick blankets and quilts.
When we got down from the car, for a moment I felt that I had made a mistake. Here the blood was freezing in our hands and toes. That’s why some people shouted that come inside, the cigarette is burning. Here the bridegroom Sanjay Kadwasara was completing all the rituals hidden in the blanket. The bride Sanju and the rest of the family were also dressed in warm clothes. Similar was the scene during the pheras and other rituals.
Tried to talk to groom Sanjay Kadwasara, he got shy and went back. When I talked to the family members, they said that it is cold… even the bed was not enough. This winter and this marriage will always be remembered. At that time the mercury was showing minus 2 degree in our mobile. We congratulated the bride and groom on their marriage and got into the car. In no time the car was also frozen like ice.
Such scenes are common these days in many areas of Shekhawati including Fatehpur. Here at night, snow is freezing in the vehicles and fields.
Snow had dissolved in the air, it was difficult to breathe
After this we reached a farm in the rural area of Fatehpur. Due to the cold, we were missing Dhujani. Only our eyes were visible in warm clothes. As soon as he got down from the car, he was slapped so hard that even his eyes were frozen with ice.
Snow trees and plants we found in the field. Thick snow hung like shards of glass on the trees and plants. The drops had turned to ice on the grass. Water froze in the pipes. Farmers were trying to melt the snow by lighting bonfires nearby, so that they could irrigate the crops. We immediately checked the temperature, now the mercury had reached -4 degrees.
The frozen snow on the nets planted in the fields is looking very beautiful, but this has increased the concern of the farmers.
Water froze in 15 minutes, mercury -4.5
From here reached Agricultural Research Center, Fatehpur. The Meteorological Department had installed a state-of-the-art thermometer here. Babu Lal working here records the minimum temperature daily between 7.15 am to 7.30 am and sends it to Jaipur. Babulal filled water in a beaker in front of us and started measuring the temperature.
He showed us that the mercury was at -4.5, recorded it in a register and looked at the beaker. We were all surprised, they said look, within 15 minutes the water turned into ice.
Babulal told us that he has been noting mercury daily since the 80s. The secret of minus mercury and freezing of ice is the same. Where the fields are watered at night, snow is visible in the morning. The winter of 1997 was more severe than this, then the soul used to tremble even to come to measure the mercury.
The winter is so severe that the dew drops on the trees and plants in Fatehpur area have turned into ice.
The farmer showed helplessness due to the weather, said – the whole crop is lying
Moosaram, the farmer who was sharing here, expressed his grief. He said that even wheat, barley, gram, mustard and vegetables have been destroyed. How will I raise my family? Sir, a lot of damage has been done. What can I tell, the whole crop is lying. There is no other way to raise a family. Six men are engaged in this agriculture only. This time the winter has become severe.
Farmers say that the weather is continuously hitting them in such a way that it has become difficult for them to maintain the family.
The continuous falling temperature is also affecting the crops. Farmers are trying to cover maximum part of the fields to protect them from frost.
smoke coming out of the mouth
When we reached the intersection of Fatehpur, we saw a small dhaba. Reached there and saw a man standing and sweating. Such steam was coming out of the mouth, as if smoking cigarette or beedi. Stopped the car, got down and as soon as we tried to talk, our condition became like that.
He told us that brother, why are you getting worried in winter, find some place and hide. Now in the next few hours God’s freezer is about to start. We told that we have come from Jaipur to cover the bone-chilling winter, so he asked for tea, we refused and let him know about the winter experience.
It is so cold in Fatehpur that the water in the pipes turns into ice. Farmers have to melt it by lighting fire and other methods.
Such a cold that humans and animals stay warm in one place
At this crossroads, some people and a cow were standing next to the burning bonfire. Under a nearby chair, a dog and her child were seen looking for relief from the heat of the bonfire. No one was afraid of anyone here. Usually the animal is afraid of fire, but the cow standing here was chilling so much that fearlessly it was slitting its throat again and again in the midst of the burning flame and rising sparks.
Saw such a winter after many years
Sunil Kumar of Fatehpur told that he has seen such a winter after many years. Due to winter, the subscription has almost stopped here. Earlier, truckers and pickups used to stop and drink tea. Now I keep the bonfire burning all night, but the customer does not come.
In many areas of Sikar, the day starts with similar haze.
Laxmangarh: 1 degree cold, deserted roads
It was 4 in the morning. The car slowed down on the highway at Laxmangarh and we looked back and forth. We were measuring the highway alone. There was no arrangement to stay here, we just got out of the car and when we measured the temperature it was touching 1 degree. Here we were shivering outside the car. My tongue was starting to falter. There was no burning bonfire, so we could not muster up the courage to stop and proceeded towards our destination Fatehpur.
Ringus: Even tea is ineffective in fighting cold.
A big bonfire was lit at the dhaba in Ringas at 2:30 in the night. The vehicles were stopping and the passengers and drivers were ordering tea by coming near the bonfire. There were some who could not even dare to get down from the car to avoid the ear-biting wind. When checked, the mercury had reached 3 degrees.
Here we also ordered tea. The heat of the bonfire and hot tea were also not able to give relief to the body from the cold amid strong winds. Palms were getting cold. At the same time, the cold inside the shoes was reaching the toes. Here we stayed for some time, then got into the car and went ahead.
In Fatehpur and surrounding areas, dew turns into snow every morning like this.
Tatiyawas Toll: Employees were chilling
Cold winds were blowing when we got out of the car at Tatiyawas toll, about 20 km from Jaipur. It was half past one in the night. Some boys, chilling with the cold, were sitting on the platform of the toll by lighting a bonfire. The toll staff was also leaving the counter in between and resorting to bonfire to avoid the cold.
The roads were completely deserted during the winter journey. Only a few vehicles were visible.
Why is it so cold in Rajasthan
Director of the Meteorological Department RS Sharma said that the main reason for the winter in Rajasthan is the icy winds coming from the Himalayas. These winds come directly from Punjab to Rajasthan. The geographical condition of Punjab prevents the temperature from falling too low due to icy winds. There is irrigated area full of greenery. There is moisture in the ground.
Due to both these reasons, the effect of icy winds is less there. But when these icy winds cross Punjab, they move straight towards the plains of Rajasthan without any hindrance. There is less water in Rajasthan. Greenery is also not as much as in Punjab. In such a situation, the effect of icy winds increases manifold here.
Weather forecast: Relief can be found from January 19
- In the next few days, due to the effect of two back to back western disturbances, there is a possibility of change in the weather in the state and increase in the minimum temperature. There is a strong possibility of getting relief from cold wave and frost from January 19.
- The first Western Disturbance will be effective on January 19-20. Under its effect, there is a possibility of cloudy sky in the districts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur division and light rain/drizzle at one or two places on January 19.
- Due to the activation of the second Western Disturbance during January 22 to 26, there is a possibility of rain in the state.
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