Moving to a place where winter temperatures can dip down to sub-zero had never been on my list. In fact, I hated being in cold places. Ironically, though, the two places where we work via Let’s Open a Book – Spiti and Manali, both experience freezing winter temperatures.
I spent my first winter in Manali this year, and it was far from easy. As someone who grew up in a much warmer place like Kolkata, I had zero experience of surviving amidst the cold and snow. So I asked the locals for advice. That’s how I bought a local wood fired heater (also known as a ‘tandoor’). I stocked up on enough wood to last the entire winter season. However, it took me a few weeks of trial and error to really figure it out – how to differentiate between different types of wood and how to start a fire. I learned how to sustain the fire while making sure that the wood was being used efficiently. It is a legit survival skill!
The tandoor really helped in heating the space properly (the electric heater is unreliable due to voltage fluctuations and power outages). But the adventure didn’t end there. On one particular day when it snowed quite heavily, a layer of snow accumulated on the terrace. This, together with the heat inside the room, led to tiny droplets being formed on the ceiling of our library room. I had a mini panic episode, thinking the droplets were going to land all over our precious books.
Then there were the more obvious things – for instance, most of my wardrobe now consists of fleece and wool. Food habits had to be modified. And the most difficult bit of all was that the freezing temperature combined with the altitude disrupted my mind-body balance, so I had several sleepless nights in a row.
It’s almost the end of winter in Manali now. Looking back, it has all been worth it. Because all through the winter months, even amidst heavy snowfall, children showed up at the library to read. And for that and that alone, I would do this a thousand times over!
This photo was taken on the terrace of our Manali library last week, where, for the first time in my life, I truly embraced the cold and the snow.