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Beat the blaze

SUMMER Do you dread even stepping out for a few minutes during daytime? ANJU NARAYANAN offers a few tips that will help you keep cool

Seasons in Mangalore can be best described as hot, hotter and hottest. The hottest time of the year is definitely summer and what makes it worse is the humidity. A mere five minutes in the sun is enough to encourage one to make a dash for the nearest shelter, even if it is borrowed shade from a stranger's umbrella and never mind the stony look from the umbrella owner. Braving a frosty stare is better than dealing with the high temperature.

Then as you try and figure out alternative ways to deal with the heat, you look at that little boy or girl lolling around in a breathe-easy outfit and wish to wear something like that.

To remain cool is actually a lot easier than one thinks. To feel comfortable, wear something comfortable. In other words, stick to light cottons and pastels. Stack away those synthetics and other sticky fabrics for a rainy day.

Now that the exterior is taken care of, it's time to keep your insides cool. Drink plenty of healthy juices and not aerated drinks. An amazing number of juice centres have sprung up out of nowhere at every street corner, so one need not walk a mile to find a glass of refreshing lime juice. But be wary of the water being used in these juices.

If you don't like juices, then lassi is an excellent alternative. You can try either sweet, salt or masala. But nothing beats good old, homemade buttermilk, spiked with curry leaves, ginger, coriander and chillies.

Before the advent of refrigerators, buttermilk was norm in every household. With natural fruit juices now available in tetra packs, no one has the time anymore to prepare buttermilk at home. But nobody's complaining, for more the options to beat the heat, the better.

Watermelons piled along roadsides are sell-outs during this season. They are perhaps the healthiest and cheapest option. At Rs. 12 to Rs. 14 apiece, a melon could be just what the doctor ordered.

For us coastal dwellers struggling with heightened humidity, dehydration is the biggest worry. It is not uncommon to experience dizziness after a mind broiling under the sun. So it's important to consume a healthy combination of fruits, vegetables, and fluids. A minimum of nine glasses of water is a must. Spicy, rich and starchy food is best avoided; all that heat and spice can lead to flatulence.

With a bit of care, summer can still be as pleasant as any other season. If nothing else, it is a treat for the eyes with trees rich in flowers, foliage and fruits. And, of course, there are those summer shower that suffusesthe air with its unbeatable fragrance.

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