Living in India, we are used to many power outages; forced and unforced. Forced is when the dams that store water that run electricity for us in the state of Kerala are running low, usually during the long summer months, the government lays down a scheduled power outage of 30 minutes during the evening hours for all. On a rotating basis, your area will have the lights go out for a half hour between the hours of 6:30pm till 10pm. Some years you don’t have to suffer, as the rains have been plentiful and the Idduuki dam is filled – like this year, yay!

But unscheduled power outages – man they can be a pain in the arsre. The Kerala State Electricity Board is so efficient that a minor lightning effect can cause a lengthy power outage; the briefest of winds can cause transformers to blow up. They are so efficient in this manner. Luckily, that too is on the downside this year but we are treated to one every few weeks. So how do I spend my time?

We keep candles ready, on the dining table in the living room. Matches are always kept handy nearby as well. A few candles, an emergency electrical battery charged lamp can brighten those dark evenings. Since I have a 1GB ipod shuffle and my BlackBerry too, I can always listen to music while sitting at the window or lying on my bed. If I have enough light, then I can also read a bit and try and finish the last few chapters of that novel that has been lying around for ages. And a cup of coffee would keep me company as well.