Surviving an Indian summer without air conditioning

The summer in north India is nothing short of a nightmare when it comes to the heat. Temperatures usually soar to anywhere between 40-50C and we've experienced some days in the mid-50Cs. 

And yet, this is our second summer without air conditioning (AC). 

Why, you may be tempted to ask? 

It's a very good question. There are a number of reasons. 

1. We moved into a flat without pre-installed ACs. 

Our previous apartment where we lived three years ago had AC in every room. This one didn't. When we lived in Delhi we had bought a number of AC but always ended up having to give them away, often because we were moving out. Buying an AC isn't cheap and it's a hassle to install and uninstall when you leave. And we always end up leaving, always. 

2. We work outdoors. 

If you think that the average India man (and that includes my dear husband - I've been told it's a guy thing though) likes to have the AC on around 20C, that's over 20 degrees difference with the outdoors. Many people just go from their AC house, to their AC car and into their AC office. But we go to the farm - and that's definitely outdoors and very hot. Since we go to the stables twice a day, early morning and in the evening, that would mean putting our body through 20C variations several times a day. Not a good idea and a recipe to fall sick. 



3. ACs consume a lot of power. 

India has major power shortages and a lot of the condominiums run on diesel-powered generators, sometimes for dozens of hours every day. If you think of the load of an AC, combined with the cost of diesel and the pollution, that's just a recipe for disaster. 

--> Finding a compromise: coolers. 

I don't know if it's an Indian invention, but I certainly had not come across coolers before moving here. These ingenious ventilation systems operate with water dripping on straw panels so that the air blown is much cooler than the atmosphere. 



I won't lie, it's not as pleasant as the air conditioning and you need to sit quite close to them to feel the cool air but they do work very well. They consume much less power and give your body a chance to adjust better too. 

We have two coolers in the house because with the number of animals around each can get a little crowded!