Why winters are special in north India

It's begun as a especially harsh winter, what with depressing queues at ATMs post demonetisation. Whether you can actually do all of them or not owing to the ongoing cash-crunch, and depending on how long it will last, it's nevertheless a good time to remind us of the wonders of a north Indian winter, special because it's like no other.

Here's the A to Z of the Indian winter:

A: Apples, round red apples, or white apples, Himachali of course! We are in nationalist mode these days!

B: Bonfires with whiskey and singing Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi long into the night, till the last embers dim. What are friends with backyards and farmhouses for?

C: Chikki, crunchy, brown, peanut chikki. Chikki for young, chikki for old, delicious chikki for everyone.

D: Donations to the needy - of warm clothes to wear, blankets. Nothing like spreading a bit of warmth all around.

E: Early to bed, late to rise. Never mind wealthy or wise, keep that for another time.

F: Flowers of winter: orange and sunny gaindas to brighten up your window sill, chrysanthemums and petunias for cheer...

G: Games in the sun: tambola or cards, carrom or scrabble. Lay out the darri in your little extension into the sun in the flat, or a picnic at the neighbourhood park - whatever patch of sunshine you find. Afternoons fly by...

H: Hot water bottles - one in every room you use, and extra for guests!

I: Inertia. You're allowed. Remember, many other animals hibernate.

J: Jackets - faux leather from mango, biker or bomber, classic or traditional - jackets are to winter what the LBD is to summer.

K: Knitting parties instead of kitty parties. Wine, women, chatter, music and needles! Hand made mufflers, to gift, donate or wear. A hobby you won't regret.

L: long-elaichi-honey tea, endless cups of it, to keep you warm inside out.

M: Monument visiting - Humayun's tomb or Red Fort, no better time than winter to reacquaint yourself with the creation of ancestors - there's something about sun on old stone that warms you to the insides. One for every weekend.

N: Nature walks, brisk or leisurely bird-watching, at a ridge route closest to you. Or a nature route for bike rides. Great place to make new friends for the social, a time far away from the madding crowd for the solitary.

O: Opulence. Velvet and silk, jalebi and milk, is what the best winter evenings are made of.

P: Pets to curl up with. Dogs and cats and all things furry - if you don't have one already to be a live heater at your feet, go ahead and adopt one, preferably stray to give him/her a home this winter. C'mon what are you waiting for?

Q: Er...Queuing up at the ATM in the time of demonetisation, for money and a doze of winter sun Vitamin D. Make the most of a forced exercise, whether you support demonetisation or not.

R: Razai, your BFF, from the months of December-January.

S: Shawls, pashmina. By far the best way to buy one is sitting in the verandah with the roaming Kashmiri shawl salesmen who appear, going house to house with bundles of shawls on their backs, opening up each intricate delight, in different hues, expressing mock horror at the price but unable to resist the soft wool and handicraft.

T: Terrace parties. Rum and coke, watching the planes fly overhead in the night. It makes you nostalgic about the days when you were young and broke. But each winter you discover you're never too old for a terrace party.

U: Underwear, thermal. A trip to M&S is the saviour.

V: Vegetables: saag, gajar, peas, turnip, radish, sweet potato... fresh or the pickles, soups, drinks and dishes they are used in.

W: Weddings - it's the season for testing the body in mid-riff revealing saris, the chattering of teeth helped by a hip flask of vodka in a shiny clutch bag.

X: X'mas party. The best one in town is PR honcho Dilip Cherian's. Cultivate a friend who has an invite.

Y: Yellow bedspreads, curtains, linen or scarfs. For when the sun won't shine for days on end, you'll have to create your own patch of sunshine for cheer indoors.

Z: Zzzs sitting out in the sun. Unbeatable bliss.

Also read: What being a Haryanvi has taught me