Of fruity coolers, lazy afternoons

What are your hacks or handy tips to surviving the Mumbai summer? Mangoes, weekends at a hill station, icecream sandwiches – what does the season mean to you?

Summer always brings to mind the nostalgic memories of eagerly waiting for vacations to start and taking the train to my grandparents’ home, where I would be reunited with my extended family of uncles, aunts and cousins.

It reminds me of how we looked forward to climbing trees and plucking mangoes and taking a mandatory dip in the stepwell.

With few aerated drinks in the market then, ice golas and home-made fruit coolers were our indulgences.

Since tabs and smart phones were not even heard of, summers meant reading and exchanging books and comics like Chandamama, Amar Chitra Katha or detective stories or spending afternoons playing carom or games of cards. It reminds me of how we, as kids, were given the responsibility to keep a watch on the papads and sandige kept to dry in the sun.

Our lifestyles may have changed drastically but those memories last forever.

Let’s in our busy schedules remember to keep a small bowl of drinking water in the balcony or outside our homes for the birds and stray animals.

If possible, let’s also distribute glares to the traffic constables and daily wage earners who are forced to toil in the heat for several hours. the more desi variants like chaas (buttermilk), coconut water, lassi and lime juice.

One has to avoid spicy food. Apart from mangoes, summer also lets you enjoy fruits like jackfruits and kala jamun, so I always tell people to go ahead and experiment with them and come up with their own dishes, as a better alternative to the greasy, spicy street food that is bound to overheat the system.

Summer also brings with it the problem of breakouts and prickly heat, for which one can look for easy remedies in the kitchen. Using sandalwood paste on your forehead and on prickly heat-affected spots can bring instant relief.

Not only is it a traditional beauty trick but also has soothing and healing properties.

My appeal to Mumbaikars this summer is to conserve water during so that everyone can access the resource.

With the depleting water table and concretisation of the city, water is becoming scarce, so let all of us do our bit. have realised that summers do not necessarily mean sweating and cribbing.

Instead, every year my family plans trips to water parks where we indulge in hours of water games, enjoy golas, fruit popsicles and chilled milkshakes. Summer is probably my favourite season because I get to have my favourite fruit — the mango! Instead of sitting at home and complaining about the heat, I would advise people to step out, soak in the sun, get a little tanned and experience the thrill of summer, while keeping yourself well-hydrated, of course.

So get out your hats and flaunt those stylish sunglasses and enjoy the season of warmth and joy.