Mumbai winters have a bad reputation. If you live here, you have probably heard the complaints. It is too hot, too humid, too May in the middle of December. The city is full of climate critics who never tire of repeating these grievances and promoting their malicious agenda. Perhaps you are friends with some of these miscreants. Please tell them I have had just about enough of their whining.
After 15 years in this glorious metropolis, I am convinced that Mumbai is the perfect winter destination. Whether you are a tourist planning a short visit or a to-be resident scoping out a future home, you can do no better than spending the turn of the year in our island city. It is impossible to capture all its wintry virtues in a few paragraphs but the following reasons should make you appreciate the benefits.
Waking Up: You are familiar, no doubt, with the phenomenon of the ‘Lazy Winter Morning’. It is typified by the early-hour chill that infiltrates your bedroom. Sticking a solitary toe out into the frigid air, like a fleshy thermometer, serves as a harsh reminder of all you stand to lose, should you leave your bed. You open one eye and the weak sunlight filtering through the curtain promises none of the warmth of your quilt. Your memory of the ice-cold stream of tap water gives you gooseflesh. You kill your alarm, fluff your pillow and do your best impression of a burrito. As the morning drags on, you sleep through 11 missed calls from your boss, miss three client meetings, and are subsequently fired.
This sort of thing would never happen in Mumbai. Here, you can wake up without an alarm. All you must do is schedule your air conditioner to switch off in the wee hours, and soon after, you will be compelled to throw open your blanket and wipe the sweat off your brow. The coolness of the floor will soothe your feet. Taking a shower will not be a torturous act but a welcome relief. You will thus be able to start your day, without the season impeding you in any manner.
Active Lifestyle: Cold weather is a curse for fitness enthusiasts. Joints ache, muscles grow stiff and old injuries get a fresh lease of life. In a nippy environment, all motivation to workout or go for a run withers away; instead, your hand inches towards your phone to order a plate of momos. You may be diligent about hitting your health goals but when a 20-minute warm-up routine refuses to thaw your body, your resolve cannot help but crumble. Before you know it, your winter evenings are dedicated to pakodas instead of Pilates.
While your compatriots in other cities toast their hands before a heater, you can slurp on a kalakhatta ice-gola on a beach (Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
We Mumbaikars are immune to these problems. We can exercise, at all times of the year, in the same ambient conditions. Fog, mist, windchill — these northerly inconveniences do not trouble us on the west coast. We also have the added advantage of not needing to warm up, on account of always being warm by default. (This is also the reason why so many of our middle-aged men wear shorts all round the year.) When the rest of the country hibernates, Mumbai continues to hustle.
Wardrobe: Many people complain about the cost of living in Mumbai, especially the steep housing expense. It is impossible to buy an apartment in the city, they grumble, and rents are exorbitant. But you will never hear these Grinches talk about the myriad ways in which Mumbai allows them to save money — like not having to purchase any winter clothes.
In many parts of our country, people have to maintain two wardrobes. One, consisting of linen and cotton, is used during the summer months. The other is dominated by wool and fleece, dry-cleaned into action in the winters. Jackets, scarves, gloves, hats — these things do not come cheap. Add the price of naphthalene balls that are bought annually when packing away the winterwear, and the damage becomes substantial. Living in Mumbai protects your bank account from these outlays.
You can spend years in this city and not own more than a single sweater. And even that item is ceremonial. It is only worn, with sheepish acknowledgement, when attending Christmas brunches, where the gathered folk sit outdoors and remark upon the pleasant weather as large pedestal fans grace them with a cool breeze. (I should admit there are pockets of Mumbai — cafés with powerful air-conditioning — where you will find people wearing sweatshirts well into March. I cannot claim to understand these mavericks but I am glad they exist. A little eccentricity adds to a city’s charm, after all.)
Pool-and-Beach Parties: Where else, but in Mumbai, can you bid farewell to the past year with a pool party and welcome January by hanging out at a beach? (If you said Goa, I did not hear you.) There is a stereotype of winter festivities — one involving faux snowmen, bedecked pine trees and hot beverages — that has colonised our minds. The yule tide spirit manifests in more novel and refreshing ways in the city of dreams.
You discover that the joy of drinking champagne poolside is far superior to the drudgery of sipping mulled wine next to a fireplace. At sundown, instead of bundling up and heading indoors, you can stroll around Juhu Chowpatty. While your compatriots in other cities toast their hands before a heater, you can slurp on a kalakhatta ice-gola as your humid t-shirt sticks to your body. Indeed, if you are a male model living in Versova, you need not even wear the t-shirt. You could do all of the above in a vest.
I suspect you are already packing your bags and booking your tickets. I can understand how desperate you must be to get here post haste. But should you, for some reason, be unable to travel this December, do not despair. You can enjoy all of these winter experiences when you visit us in May.