(The Delhi winter cold)
I remember a song from 'Zameen', a film released few years ago which compares love for the beloved with 'Dilli ki sardi' (Delhi's biting winter cold) probably because both don't allow one to sleep in peace.
Delhi had an unusually warm December with average temperatures remaining 4-5 degrees celsius warmer than normal. The weather office stated yesterday that December 2008 was the warmest since 1953. Well it took them 33 days to know what the average Delhite already knew well in advance. I guess they must have been sifting through old tattered and moth-eaten registers to know for sure that it was 1953 and not 1853.
The weather gods in the last few days are trying to make amends and since the dawn of this new year the average temperatures are about 3-5 degrees celsius cooler than normal for January. Yesterday night the minimum was 3 degrees and today morning was around 8 degrees celsius. The thick fog that engulfs the whole city makes the experience almost poetically romantic. A brisk walk in the morning (with not more than 20 of the 200 or so regulars in our park) leaves one totally energised and ready to face the day.
One is beginning to enjoy the biting cold. I guess Delhites would now get an excuse to gorge on the winter goodies like 'Gajar ka halwa', 'Gulabjamuns', 'Makki ki roti and sarson ka saag', 'Gachak', 'Moongphali', 'Bhugga' and many other delicacies which our sweetmeat shops have meticulously crafted to shift the focus from the cold.
Delhi had an unusually warm December with average temperatures remaining 4-5 degrees celsius warmer than normal. The weather office stated yesterday that December 2008 was the warmest since 1953. Well it took them 33 days to know what the average Delhite already knew well in advance. I guess they must have been sifting through old tattered and moth-eaten registers to know for sure that it was 1953 and not 1853.
The weather gods in the last few days are trying to make amends and since the dawn of this new year the average temperatures are about 3-5 degrees celsius cooler than normal for January. Yesterday night the minimum was 3 degrees and today morning was around 8 degrees celsius. The thick fog that engulfs the whole city makes the experience almost poetically romantic. A brisk walk in the morning (with not more than 20 of the 200 or so regulars in our park) leaves one totally energised and ready to face the day.
One is beginning to enjoy the biting cold. I guess Delhites would now get an excuse to gorge on the winter goodies like 'Gajar ka halwa', 'Gulabjamuns', 'Makki ki roti and sarson ka saag', 'Gachak', 'Moongphali', 'Bhugga' and many other delicacies which our sweetmeat shops have meticulously crafted to shift the focus from the cold.
I guess in every part of the world there are such man-made diversions associated with extremes of climate to shift focus from the cold and attendent discomfort. One starts looking forward to the acutely cold weather so that one can savour such treats that are associated with extreme cold and one is free of any guilt. In a climate any less hostile partaking of these delicacies provokes a feeling of guilt.
In case any one reading this piece is familiar with such weather related goodies please offer your inputs and enrich me.
In case any one reading this piece is familiar with such weather related goodies please offer your inputs and enrich me.
2 comments:
One delicacy you forgot to mention & which is a must in this sardi is the Aandeka ka paratha at the dhaba just outside Hotel Vikram !
Yes Madhukar, the famous anda parantha (stuffed crisp fried Indian wholemeal breads) made by "Chache da Dhaba" (lit. Uncle's eatery) are worth the wait that one has to endure. I have enjoyed them previously and can recommend them to anyone who is in New Delhi in winter for his (or her) first visit.
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