Ronak is a persion word that we use often in hindi, punjabi and urdu. Ronak, in my language, Punjabi is often used to apply a 'joy, a lightness of mood'. Usually we say, 'ronak aa gaye' the light or brightness has arrived, or Ronak ho gayi, it became light. Sometimes it is used in reference to people. 'He or she brings ronak to a party, or is a ronak of a party.!
Soon as Christmas is over, I know that light is not that far. It is true that dark and cold stays in the country for over six months, but when the light returns, it is not just in a matter of time, but also intensity. The above picture was taken last year. Although the picture was taken in the afternoon, our early morning sun by the end of February is just as strong. Six am, which used to be like 10 pm, pitch dark is not bright and awake. By the time March rolls around we need blinds. The first few days are really hard. Getting used to light is just as hard as getting used to the dark.
I took this above picture only because this bare branch seemed so proud next to green grass!! What confidence!!
The above pictures are taken in the middle of a forest, right behind the university. Imagine this in the winter! You can hardly see anything. It is dark and cold. But by the end of February, the birds are chirping, the light is bright, and the days are nearly 11 hours long. We add about 5-6 minutes of light everyday. Which means in ten days we add about an hour of light. Which makes it three extra hours every month. Multiply that three by four times, meaning four more months, March till June, that is how much more light we will add by the end of June. At midsummer, the last week of June, we have about 22 hours of light!! Yippee!! And up north, it is 24 hrs of pure bright light!! People who move here from the north say that it is not 'bright' enough here. Truly the land of midnight sun!!
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