Our Kitchen light is always on!

Our Kitchen light is always on!

In our house the kitchen light (tube, old model, 40 watts) is on most of the time, say for 14 hours a day. The room has a window on southern side, other three sides with solid walls, not providing enough day light for routine kitchen work. It is like our walled concrete offices where natural light seems to forbidden by design. That the light is on almost seemingly forever is not just due to lack of sufficient natural daylight. It is also because though there are just two of us in the house we tend to leave it on due to carelessness or a sort of don’t care attitude born out of sheer laziness.

I sit in the dining room with my laptop placed on the dining table (in which house, dining table is used for the purpose bought?) with a door open to kitchen – yes, with the kitchen light striking my eyes; So I notice that the light is on but won’t raise and go and switch off. One reason for leaving it on is that we can deter lizards from running around or cockroaches roaming around. While cooking adequate light is a must: when some masala with red chilies is being fried, the effect of pungent smell would be less if light is on, compared to a dark room.

The light being on during pre-dawn hours or in the night helps my neighbors to know whether we are at home. Or, if both of us are out of town, to get alerted that someone has broken in.

The only time we consciously take pains to switch off the light is when insects attracted by light swarm all over, immediately following some rain. During this time we need to take care of foodstuff left open, if any, and prevent any damage. Sometimes darkness in the kitchen is forced upon us due to power off.  Attending to kitchen work with the help of candle light is hazardous.  Vegetarians have to bother about eating non-veg stuff full of insects! Gone are the days of Kerosene hurricane lamps. Solar or other emergency lamps come handy provided you have taken care to keep them charged or easily locatable.

Incidentally “The Light is on” is a catholic Christian church program inviting people to confess and seek forgiveness. Though not a Christian, what do I have to confess? “Forgive me, my Lord, for my laziness and take me in with all my faults”

Another room where light is on in most houses might be the Puja room.  I will write about it on some other day.

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