Some childhood memories remain embedded in one’s consciousness for a lifetime. One such is of days we used to travel from Mumbai (our city home) to my grandfather’s farm in village Marwa, Uttar Pradesh. Why we had two homes and why our farm and city home were so far apart still confuses me. I was given a long explanation which I won’t bore you with.

My parents, brothers and I would board the Dehradun Express in mid summer when schools would break. We didn’t travel first, but in second class compartments without air-conditioning. Therefore my father would buy a block of ice and plant it in a bucket under the compartment’s electric fan. Good old-fashioned luxury, much better than modern air-conditioning which doesn’t allow the body to adjust to the summer heat as it builds up day by day. That’s why those who are in and out of air-conditioning tend to feel the heat much more than those who don’t use air-conditioning.

When we’d arrive in Delhi and sometimes break journey, after the tolerable humidity of Mumbai, the dry heat of Delhi used to be unbearable. I remember experiencing breathing difficulties in a Delhi clubhouse where the scorching nights were something I could never have anticipated. Eventually we would fall asleep after pouring cold water on our mattresses.

I pride myself on not being a cribber, taking each moment at a time and enjoying each season for what it brings. Since I’ve begun working my farm, the beauty and utility of each season has been greatly accentuated. The visual treat of flowering trees helps one tolerate summer heat. Ditto the array of summer fruits and vegetables in which India is so rich. Although this summer I have been feeling the rising temperature — blame it on global warming — I have also learnt to savour and appreciate the cool sea breezes of Mumbai. There is plenty of it if one is not cooped up at home or office or in an air-conditioned room. The cement boxes that pass for homes translate into hot cases just like metal cars which absorb heat. 

Admittedly, we cannot do much about many things. Say, for instance, the house you live in or the office in which you work. But you can dress in fine cotton clothing to feel cool, and also eat light. This goes well with my philosophy of need less, use less, buy less. To follow the dress light rule, be careful to ensure that you don’t purchase synthetic mixes being sold as cotton. To eat light, stick to fruits and vegetables that the season brings forth. Eating seasonal always helps you cope with prevalent weather conditions. 

For example we eat bajra rotis in the winter because millet is a winter crop which keeps us warm. Likewise abundantly available watermelon and other melons are just what the body needs in hot summers. Their water content and nutrients are designed to keep us cool. However please note that all fruit needs to be had on an empty stomach, i.e not after meals, as is the common practice.

Which brings me to the greatest gift of the Indian summer — the mango season, (the other being that it’s the time of the year when diving into a pool or the sea is a delight). Ironically this king of fruits and summer solace is commonly believed to be ‘heat producing’ and the cause of skin problems, especially pimples. Absolutely false. This only happens if mangoes are eaten after or with meals as most households do. When fruits, especially mangoes are eaten on a full stomach they become heat producing, because inside the stomach they mix with other, especially spicy food. Moreover mango is high in vitamin A, which by common consensus is good for the skin. So how can this king of fruits be blamed?

The other major benefit of summer is sunshine — plenty of it. For fear of skin darkening — an absurd prejudice perpetuated by Bollywood and the mimic men of the advertising industry — most Indians shun the sun. However, the body’s need for sunshine is more important than the fear of its ill effects. Of course too much of anything — including sunshine — isn’t advisable. But not enough is even more dangerous. Therefore it’s important to take in morning and late afternoon sunshine. It must reach at least the wrists and neck if all other parts of the body are covered. However, I’d recommend greater exposure to the sun than that. I am of the opinion that the inventors of swimsuits including the bikini, were as driven by health and well-being reasons as by aesthetics. You need to experience sun rays on all parts of the body to feel the difference. In my own case if I miss my daily dose of sunshine, I feel like I haven’t eaten. 
Most people don’t value sunshine because it is free! If sunshine was priced, there would be many marketing plans and we would be buying into them. I believe lack of sunshine is a major contributing factor behind many ailments including depression. So don’t hide from the life-giving sun; he’s your friend. You just need to visit some of the cold damp nations of the northern hemisphere to appreciate the joy of living in a warm, sunny country. 

So the next time you crib about the heat, think about all the points I’ve made. Neither should you complain about the forthcoming monsoon season. You only have to see a dry well and the parched earth to realise how much you need to welcome the rain; indeed to pray for it. 

(Kavita Mukhi is a Mumbai-based eco-nutritionist and director of Conscious Food)