THE DYSTOPIAN WINTERS OF DELHI

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair," these lines by Charles Dickens from his 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, ring true today in the Delhi-NCR of the 21st century.

- Vernika Awal

In my childhood, winters meant spending lazy mornings outdoors basking in the sun and enjoying the juiciest fruits of the season like oranges and malta sprinkled with some rock salt. In another corner, my grandfather would be lying down on a chatai placed at a sunny spot in the garden, reading his newspaper with a cup of steaming hot adrak chai by his side. At another sunny spot, vegetables like carrots, turnips, and cauliflowers would be sun-drying, to be turned into pickles for the season. We would look forward to winter outings to Nehru Park and Lodhi Garden as all the cousins and friends would gather for a picnic to make the most of the season. But those days are well past us now.