The Autobiography Of A Traditional Air Cooler

By Riya Chaudhary

It is a strange feeling to see the world pass you by. I live my life through memories. Memory glimmers and hints, but shows nothing sharply. It can be all too vivid and all too ambiguous at the same moment. One moment I may hear adolescent laughter and the next moment deafening silence may overwhelm me.

The first time I came into the Chaudhary household was an occasion of joyous pandemonium. The two little kids, a boy no more than twelve years of age and his little sister almost six years old gawked from the courtyard below as their father and grandfather hoisted me up using ropes from the second floor window. It was a tedious affair, as I weigh almost 20 kilograms, and pulling me up two storeys was no easy feat. It took a whole day to place me, and the smiles every person had on their face by nightfall is etched into my memory still.

The next decade flew by. I kept the kids cool during the hot summer nights but I also kept all their secrets. Spending night after night watching the older brother read his sister texts from an old encyclopedia through the night, enticing her thirst for knowledge but also lulling her to sleep. I memorized every story their grandmother told them. The kids adored their grandparents. Every summer afternoon, they would sit in front of me and play board games for hours on end. The grandfather would subtly teach the kids the way of the world, all the while playing Monopoly and the little girl learnt that the world is a cruel place when her brother mercilessly defeated her at a round of Ludo. Their mother would bring in fruity drinks for them and occasionally join in for a laugh or two. Those summer days were filled with hearty laughter, the smell of petrichor mixing with mangoes or watermelon. Every morning, their father used to fill me up with water and a tincture of “khus”, an earthy scent to fill the house with refreshing cool air. Of course, now all that is but a distant memory.

The goofy little boy who played with plastic animals to create an animal kingdom around me is now a grown man, working as a cardio thoracic surgeon in the UK. The little girl grew into a fine young woman, still in school, but dreaming about working with her pen to bring about a change in the world while navigating the troubled waters of nearing adulthood. Their grandmother passed away some time ago, and I cried right alongside them and their grandfather now watches his beloved children outgrow his folk tales, with a tired yet proud smile. With the time passing, so did my use for them. In a fast paced world you cannot keep up if you are a stationary object. After years in use, I was replaced by a modern air conditioner. I am still placed at the same window but I can no longer hear the conversations or laughter. A curtain covers my sight and the humming of various machines clouds my hearing. I do not complain. I do reminisce about those summer days, like a dandelion flying in the wind you cannot seem to catch for the life of you. Every person has their objective they need to fulfill in their time on this planet and I find solace in the fact that I served my purpose to the fullest.

By Riya Chaudhary