Electric fans now a must-have for peak summertime in Shillong
Once famed for its “summer escape” charm, Shillong is now dancing to a different beat—the steady hum of electric fans. As temperatures tiptoe above 25-26°C mark, residents are rediscovering summer the hard way.
Once considered an exotic gadget reserved for people from the plains, electric fans have now become household essentials in the hill state.
The culprit? Climate change, of course. With monsoon’s playing hide-and-seek and the once-reliable cloud cover turning into mere decorative fluff, Shillong’s weather has gone from charmingly moody to mildly menacing during peak summers.
In local households, pedestal fans have become the hottest new home décor. A slight rise in temperature now triggers a fan-on frenzy.
Similarly, in neighbouring Guwahati, the heat has taken things a notch higher. Air-conditioners have become so common there that electric fans are gradually becoming redundant, despite the latter consuming less electricity and not being heavy on the pocket.
In Shillong, however, unforeseen rains, at times, eliminate the necessity to keep the electric fans always switched on. The situation is otherwise during peak summertime.
For now, Shillong spins on—quietly, breezily and with a newfound appreciation for high-speed rotation.
A rendezvous with Blinkit
In a plot twist that shocked absolutely no one in Shillong, quick-commerce giant Blinkit burst onto the scene recently with promises of 20-minute grocery deliveries, only to vanish into thin air.
The service lasted a grand total of seven days before Blinkit pulled the plug, citing technical issues, leaving Shillongites staring at their shopping carts.
The arrival of Blinkit was heralded as the next big thing for Shillong, a city where the pace of life is set to “scenic stroll” and the traffic moves at the speed of a particularly relaxed cow.
“Be it a sunny or a rainy day, the delivery pilots are seen in every corner of the city with a single tap on its app,” we had gushed after Blinkit launched its services, swooned by the promise of snacks arriving faster than you can say “Laitumkhrah” (not Laimu!).
Blinkit’s pitch was irresistible: 20-minute deliveries (because 10 minutes is apparently too ambitious for Shillong’s hilly terrain), beating the city’s notorious traffic, and saving stressed-out students and professionals from the horrors of market runs.
Even if for a fleeting moment, it seemed Shillong had joined the 21st century’s quick-commerce craze, seen in Tier-1 cities.
But alas, the dream was shorter-lived than a Bollywood star’s retirement tales.
Within a week, Blinkit’s app in Shillong went as silent as a church on Monday.
Local conspiracy theorists have their own takes. “Blinkit didn’t account for the Shillong vibe,” they said, speculating that Blinkit had a nervous breakdown trying to negotiate Shillong’s traffic jams.
So, here’s to Shillong, where the hills are high, the traffic is slow, and the only thing arriving in 10 minutes is your neighbour’s unsolicited advice.
Disclaimer: No delivery riders and customers were harmed in the writing of this article, but several packets of chips remain undelivered!