Personally, this brings lot of memories. It is that one novel which I remember more vividly amongst all of the others that I read. A few years back, I bought a physical copy for the archives and a digital copy for nostalgia. I re-read it in 2018 and unfortunately, I find it hard to feel as good as I felt when I was younger. I have no idea and no reasoning.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the people of my state and thus me are influenced heavily by Bengali literature, food, and culture. I might have felt closer to her or she became a common name in our tiny town. Finally, I grew up with teachers, most of who hail from South India and have heard (and I visualize) the hot Indian summers in the state of Kerala. One of my few good friends I made during school, was from Kerala and lost contact after school. During summer vacation, I visualize that he met his local friends, and play around big ponds and jump in beating the heat.