Keep your cool in scorching summers

Summers really make life terrible. But for some, like companies engaged in soft drinks, ice creams and talcum powders, this time is really cool. These companies certainly pray for these days, as the sale of their products reach to maximum heights.

CJ: prabir ghose

Fri, Apr 25, 2008 12:55:41 IST

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Summer Pros & Cons

SUMMER THIS year appears to be more severe than in previous years. The rise in mercury is unabated and coupled with load shedding, the lives of the common men are turning out to be terrible. They are finding it extremely difficult to maintain their cool.

Summer, by default, means scorching heat. Those who are lucky to work in air conditioned offices run to the comforts of cool surroundings. Majority of youngsters are today engaged in organisations that are associated with either computer software or hardware or call centres where air-conditioned offices are the norms.

However, the elders who still have to toil in huge government offices with rickety ceiling fans for company keep several handkerchiefs handy and run frequently to the water coolers. While quenching their thirst, they get the chance to catch up on gossips.

Summer takes its toll in the form of release of water as perspiration. In order to compensate this loss, we increase our quota of the input of liquids, of which water is one. Other versions embrace the whole range of cold drinks that are attractively packaged in convenient containers – the ad spends on cold drinks runs into crores. Those deal in big names that are presumed to generate big business and those strive to outdo one another in ideas.

Ice creams are still popular even though the continuous rising cost is a cause for worry – to compensate for higher price of ingredients, the quantity takes a beating. One seldom notices, whether the ice cold cup of butter scotch or vanilla really has 100 grams as its content or only 80 grams.

Ice creams do not have much say in cooling solutions – the brands exist, each one has an identity of its own. It appears that they are comfortable with whatever portion of business they have garnered. Probably, in their cases, the passion is unique; the relationship a lasting one. Once you get hooked to a brand, it is difficult for others to separate the two of you, unlike in cold drinks where fickleness is more pronounced.

One giant loses out on its clientele due to more attractive freebies on offer by its rivals. Alternatives to keep one’s cool in the hot sultry scorching heat of summer are the indigenous varieties of fresh-lime juice, better known as nimbu-pani along with fruit juices like mango, pineapple and oranges and, of course, the inimitable lassis.

Nowadays, the lassis are available readymade – and stocked in the refrigerators with the ice creams. The sugarcane juice also has its share of patrons – the outlets can be easily identified by the sound of the jingling bells mounted on the wheel that squeezes the last drop out of the sugar canes. The sound can keep one enthralled for long.

If all of us could spend the hot, sultry days of summer in centralised air conditioned comfort, it would put out of business all those who swear by other cooling solutions. Not just the ones who peddle cold drinks, but also the ones who promote prickly heat powders, body soaps, hair oil and ceiling fans. Whatever be the product, a show of skin is a must because that is akin to a show of strength.

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