Let’s face it, there is a reason winters are known as the ‘Magical season’; mundane things seem to mean a little something extra during this time. Be it the faint rays of a warm winter sun, or the warm fuzzy feeling one gets, snuggling under the covers; like putting adarak in chai, winters just have something so comforting about them. At Ashoka too, different students find their little miracles during this season.
Winter means different things for different people, for Nivedita Joon (UG’19), winter at Ashoka makes her excited because, she says, “my birthday is on 17th December, and that’s the day when the semester ends, so that’s what I am looking forward to. But for real, it’s a big bonus that there are no pesky lizards or mosquitoes, especially in wake of the dengue scare recently”
A common experience which Ashokans have onus over was the smog, because of which most classes were cancelled. It gave us tired college students a much needed break from the strains of assignments, papers and peer reviews, and really allowed us to revel in the cold.
Roshni Srimany, UG’20:
“Coming from a place that has no winter to speak of, I am really excited to experience a proper winter. We got a little preview of it with the fog and all, and it was magical! Also getting to dress up in winter wear!! I can finally wear boots, scarves and hoodies, just really expand my wardrobe. But more importantly, the feeling of the sun on winter afternoons; it feels just right”
Tanvi Gupta, UG’20:
“For me, winter means enjoying the smaller things in life, which just seem magnified during this period. Like sitting in your blanket the whole day. Also, eating hot spicy food like soup and momos, they just taste better now than in the summer!”
Teesta Rawal, UG’20
“I’ve never experienced a winter like this because I have never experienced temperatures below 18°C, and I like the feeling of being wrapped in a shawl throughout the whole day. Also roaming around alone in the cold night, for me, facilitates thought. The most I have ever thought, has been in the night, in the cold, because at that time, everything is raw. My thoughts, the surroundings, they come unfiltered and my ability to introspect or analyze something is facilitated by the cold, more than the heat because the heat brings on lethargy that the cold does not and it makes me more alert. Yeah, I like winters”
Ayushi Jain, ASP
“I know this sounds trivial, but what is exciting during the winter is that a lot of couples can make out in the dark and even indoors, you get to feel warm and cozy, cuddling with people. But, apart from the couples’ stuff, I would say that you get to have hot chocolate, and have a reason for it- that it warms your body, and so it’s more fun.
Finally, sometimes, winter can signal the oncoming of activities which you have longed for, as Harpreet Singh (UG’20) puts it eloquently, “I am most excited to sleep, because it’s cold outside and for the winter break”
So, there you go, several widely different takes on what winter at Ashoka means. Yet, from food to fashion, from creativity to cuddling, all of them seem to come together and show how the cold seems to hold something extraordinary. As for this season, in a world full of stress, work and deadlines, take a minute, enjoy the little things around you, arm yourself with winter shawls, jackets and masks and remember, the spring semester will be even longer, so might as well have some fun now.
PS- An interesting thing revealed during these interviews was the fact that the amount of pollution now is exactly the same as it was during the summers, it’s just that the winter fog makes it more visible. So stay safe no matter what the season.
Edited by Nayanika Guha
All images are curated by Sanjna Misra and Viraj Malani