Wooing wonderful, wintry Bangalore

Wooing wonderful, wintry Bangalore
Deccan Herald

Winter is here. The weather is lovely. Everyone around is wearing colourful sweaters, cardigans and pullovers. And it’s time to dust out your quilts and blankets to take you through the long winter ahead. The temperatures range from 15 degrees celsius to 27 degrees celsius now but the Met office has already said that it is only going to get colder.

This year, winter will be what Bangaloreans have been used to in the past. Many old Bangalore houses did not even have ceiling fans some 20 years ago. And even those that had them, found their ceiling fans creaked in protest when switched on, as they were rarely used. I remember telling visitors from Mumbai to bring their woollens when visiting in August. “Are you crazy, its August,” they said and shivered in the cold rainy weather that was Bangalore then.

But all that changed over the years, with global warming taking its toll of Bangalore’s beautiful climate. Summer has been hot, with coolers and air conditioners coming into homes for the first time in the city. Winters were just an apology and it was pleasant weather at best, with hardly a nip in the air. And as the days became hotter, the temperature rose to 34 to 36 degrees celsius in summer, which was unheard of in Bangalore.

As Bangaloreans sweated it out in the summer, they told visitors from the neighbouring states, “it’s so hot here, can you believe it, the temperature has touched 34 degrees celsius. Imagine, we need to take a shower in the evenings now,” and the visitor from Hyderabad or Chennai looked at the pampered Bangalorean unbelievingly.

Those poor things were sweltering under temperatures touching 44 degrees celsius and if they lived in Chennai, had no luxury of taking another shower in the evening either. Especially as most of them have to make do with muddy stored water and drink water from plastic bottles. As for the Hyderabadi, the dry climate in summer makes even the tarred roads so hot, that it’s impossible to wear open sandals, as the heat will percolate through the soles of the shoes.

But this year, Bangalore’s climate has turned topsy turvy. The summer lasted only a month as the monsoon took over and refused to go away and waited to herald the winter. So maybe we have to thank the rains for making this winter colder. And aren’t you happy that we have our very own Bangalore back?

And as we are on winter, it’s also time to check out the various sales going on in the city for winter wear. There are some great new designs available on pullovers and cardigans. Some new colours and in soft wool too. Check them out this season. If you are wondering what to do with your old sweaters, get them dyed to give them a new look and embroider some flowers or a paisley print on them.
Alternatively you could do what the Delhiites do, they unravel their old sweaters and dye the wool, mix some new wool to give it tensility and then knit themselves a brand new sweater in a completely new design!


JANAKI MURALI