Winter Start In India -

The start of winter is the great equalizer. In summer, we hide in air conditioners. In monsoon, we hide under umbrellas. But in winter, we step out . We gather. We eat. We live. The start of winter in India isn't marked by a calendar date. It is marked by the first morning you see your breath turn into a tiny cloud. It is the first night you instinctively pull your feet off the cold floor and onto the mat. It is the day the chai tastes better than usual.

Because it is the season of festivals that celebrate light (Diwali, though technically autumn, bleeds into winter) and harvest (Lohri, Pongal, Makar Sankranti). It is wedding season. It is the season of bonfires, of sitting on rooftop terraces wrapped in shawls, of sipping soup from a mug, and of wearing that woollen sweater your grandmother knitted three years ago. winter start in india

Winter has started. Finally.

In the kitchens of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the sarson ka saag (mustard greens) is ready. In Delhi, the nihari (slow-cooked stew) vendors reappear on street corners. In the south, the pongal becomes pepperier. In every home, the adrak wali chai (ginger tea) gets a double dose of ginger. The start of winter is the great equalizer