Delhiites, enjoy your 1.1° C of separation

There are, obviously, colder places during the heart of winter in India than Delhi.

So, when we point out that the national capital recorded a temperature of 1.1° C (by the truly independent Safdarjung Observatory) on the last day of last year, ‘woke folks’ talking about non-disputed parts of Ladakh being way colder should take a chillier pill.

On the other end of the spectrum, 1.1° C for many of Delhi’s citizens, despite their bones taking a severe hit, will sound like ‘First World’ climate.


So, they should be happy to be in near-Davos.

‘1.1’ is the coldest temperature since 2006, when on January 8, the city had reached a minimum of 0.02° C.

As better economists than those lurking in this column will tell you, low temperature and high economic growth have nothing to do with each other — although temperate climates are, indeed, more susceptible to manual productivity than hotter climes unaccompanied by air-conditioning.

With very cold nights in store for Delhiites this weekend — minimum temperatures are predicted to rise to a balmy 8° C by Monday-Tuesday (January 4-5) — all we can advise for tonight and tomorrow night is that you huddle next to a heater and bang thalis inside your homes and chant, ‘Go, sardi, go!’ With the right spirit, you’d be able to beat the bitter cold.

For others, travel south with your masks on.