Of course, you know what I’m going to write about if a) you read the papersand b) you’ve read this space before. I know what I’m going to talk aboutbecause I cannot stop talking about it, everywhere, it comes up frequently, inevery conversation, whether it’s real life or online. Normally, I shy awayfrom mundane subjects such as the weather, but when the weather is no longermundane and is instead standing on its head making faces at you, what can you dobut mention it?
I’m talking, of course, about the recent winter in Mumbai.Moving here from Delhi, when I refer to winter here, I say it scornfully,with quotation marks in my voice. "Winter" is the period lasting atmost about two weeks, at the end of December and early January when Mumbaicitizens pull out their monkey caps and huddle around bonfires, bemoaning the 22degree weather. Last year, when I had just moved to this city, my Mumbai friendshuddled into jackets, while I, fresh and smug from freezing Delhi danced aroundin tank tops and shorts.