Dust storms. Power cuts. Water shortage. Delhi’s list of summer woes is long. Come May and the mercury, without fail, climbs above 40 degrees Celsius and stays there almost till the end of June. But ‘wilting’ doesn’t exist in the Delhi lexicon — not when it has kulfi , chuski , fizzy drinks, summer fruits and a generous green cover (Delhi has 42 forest areas) to stay cool. Tourist footfall in the Golden Triangle — Delhi, Jaipur and Agra — doesn’t take a beating. Even on the hottest days, you will find tourists queuing up at Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Lodi Gardens and India Gate. To slake everyone’s thirst, Delhi puts out iced teas, fruit juices and its very own banta (lemonade in glass bottles). And Lutyens’ Delhi — among many other green pockets in the city — adds colour to the season with its amaltas and gulmohar trees. The occasional thunderstorm is always welcome, but there’s no dearth of fun even when the heat is beating down.
Photos by Kamal Narang