Climate Control

I daily walk from my room to the classroom, braving the chill air that bites into my bones. The academic year is from mid-June to mid-April, 4 months of bitter winter, 2 months of monsoon, 2 months warm and 2 months hot. We have our classes air-conditioned for 4 warm/hot months but not heated for the 6 cold months we are here. We have to brave the elements in the walk from the hostel to the class rooms. When it rains, all the corridors are wet and slippery, many rooms have water seeping under the door, Cold wind cuts through even a warm jacket and jeans and makes our teeth chatter (violently for me), even in a tight shut room, the fan mostly is not enough during the hot months. Why? Because India has hot summers, only air-conditioning is required? What about the cold months? During a trip to Gangtok/Darjeeling/Shimla/Ooty/favourite hill station, all the rooms have ACs, to keep them cool, but not enough water heaters!

All the houses in my hometown Chennai have water heaters for the 2 less than warm months and 10 odd days of rain, when the tap water is cold, but many houses do not have ACs for the rest of the year, cursing the heat and sitting under the lone fan. Paradox?