Winter: My Nemesis

I am a winter born, so ideally I should be comfortable with the cold climes, but with winter I meet my nemesis. Although me and my husband argue a hell lot, but I agree to a particular observation he has made about me. He feels that I am generally a person, who feels cold, even if its winter in Kolkata, for the sheer thought strikes me, that winter is here!!! So now that I stay in a city where temeperature dips even below -20 degrees celsius, is quite a wonder.

Kolkata has the reputation that it never gets really cold in the city..yet I have always managed to flaunt my stoles and light cardigans, right from the period following my birthday. Kolkata winters meant a nip in the air..a slight chill in the mornings..a season when coffee became tastier.Winter in childhood had its own charms. Winter meant PICNICS!! Yes, that annual family get together, which awaited that nip in the air!! Or even trips to the Alipur zoo, after all no one visits the zoo in summer, do they?!

Working in winter in Kolkata was only a problem, the days I had to do Lives from the airport. I used to pray and hope that flights do not get disrupted for the winter fog, so that I do not have to start sending in my first walkthrus before 6 am...but I was never so lucky..My stint of working in Kolkata, saw me at the airport from the wee hours of dawn, with me and my cameraperson and OB engineer literally cursing the weather Gods.

Being a small town girl, I had memories of how the countryside changed when it was winter. How the leaves of the trees were red..no it was not the fall colors..it was just the lateritic dust settling in. Winter meant the red school sweater, where we were perpetually striving to find the right shade of red, as recommended by my ever strict convent school authorities. Winter meant new cardigans knitted by my grandmom. Winter was always special, even though I find the cold to be my nemesis..quite a contradiction, I feel.

Mumbai, my mom's city, as I call it...was never cold during winter, so I enjoyed spending the New Years there. Winter vacations in Mumbai, during my growing up years, meant, I could flaunt my cocktail dresses at the parties, without having to bother of the temperature dipping down, or carrying stoles!!!

And then I faced the real winter per se..My first winter in Delhi, literally drove me nuts!! from having cold allergies, to wearing layers and layers, I was at my wit's end..and having to do your own cooking and cleaning in the cold, almost brought in tears. By the time it was time for my second winter in Delhi, I was well armed. I had my stock of winter wear, which I mixed and matched every morning..I didnt want to dress up similar every day, did I, given my profession as a television journo!!!

So when it was all set that I was to make Kansas City my home for the next few years, I was quite tense. I had read up and heard from my then boyfriend and now husband, that it does get bitterly cold. OMG, I thought...My nemesis is here..I will go sick like crazy..maybe I will even have worse cold allergies than I used to have in Delhi, after all the temperature dips down so low. But nothing of that sort happened..and thats when I realized how true is the observation made by my hubby dearest.winter is maybe just my nemesis in the mind..Here i am, being clothed quite casually when the temperature is at what gets the coldest in Delhi..I go for late night films with just a sweater!!! I have even felt gutsy enough to go for snow-mobiling in the Rockies,and even enjoyed the vacation thoroughly!

Facing my second winter in Kansas, but so far not a single case of cold allergies, I dont even remember being down with fever for the cold. I waltz around with hubby in tow for shopping expeditions when the temperature has dipped below -20!!!

Like many fears, my fear for winter being my nemesis, is just a fiction of my imagination. I feel cold when I want to feel cold, almost. Here I am, sitting in my apartment, with the heater switched off, in my Tshirt and pajamas, and scribbling away to glory and what does the temperature read..well, I havent bothered to check that!!!!