A cold day at once reminds us of cold and chilly airs of
December and January. When the body shivers, the teeth clatter and the fingers
get benumbed. There is a pall of frost, the water is frozen. The temperature is
below zero degree. The gusty winds blow day and night.
30th of December was the coldest of the year,
1989. There was no ray of sun visible on earth. The sky was cloudy. There was
mist and mist everywhere. Smoky fog and mist pervaded the city of Delhi. The
roads and streets were wet even without rain. It was all due to the coldness of
the season. There was no traffic on the roads. The streets were lonely and
deserted. Even a hand could not see the other hand. Such a thick layer of water
vapors made everything dim and obscure. The sky was not visible. Here and there
a solitary figure moved. The lone constable at the crossing looked sad and
pathetic. There was none to obey his directions. The markets seemed people less.
There was complete lack of color and luster. The shopkeepers sat idle and
yawning. Their business was at the minimum. The daily-wagers such as masons,
carpenters and laborers were sitting round the periphery (circumference) of the
clock tower. They were little in demand. They sat and smoked endlessly.
The day advanced. The darkness of the noon vanished for a while. The sun appeared for a few minutes. Then it went behind the dark clouds forever. The coldness did not subside. It rather increased. People wrapped their woolen clothes more tightly. Tea and coffee were the favorite drinks of the pedestrian. Even in the day the night-like atmosphere came to stay. The biting cold was extremely piercing. It sent a shiver of chilliness.
