|
|
If Indian women in Britain swear by cotton saris for summer comfort, friends and sun-stunners Rebecca Starkey (left), 26, from Manchester and Emily Cusack, 26, from London show how to make the most of the unprecedented hot weather at Hyde Park.
Picture by Yui Mok/PA Wire
|
What do Bengali women do when it is very hot in Britain, as it has been for a fortnight?
Forecasters have confirmed Britain is in the midst of its first prolonged heatwave since 2006, with six consecutive days of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.
The present hot spell could be claimed by Mamata Banerjee as a personal triumph. She wanted to make Calcutta more like London and now has gone one better by making London more like Calcutta.
Temperatures reached 32.2 degrees at Hampton in Surrey on Wednesday afternoon, making it the warmest weather since Saturday, when a high of 31.4 degrees was recorded at Heathrow Airport.
“I flaunt myself,” was the reply from film director and arts person Sangeeta Datta, who lives in north London but has spent a bit of time in Calcutta in recent years.
“I am absolutely enjoying the heat,” beamed Sangeeta, who stays cool by staying indoors and getting her writing done. “This is a rare period of time, so all the cottons come out.”
Over at the London School of Economics, it is not known if Mukulika Banerjee’s students compare her to a summer’s day, in the style of Shakespeare, but everyone knows that “summer’s lease hath too short a date”.
But Mukulika, reader in anthropology and director elect of the new South Asia Centre that is being set up at the LSE, has done a lot of her fieldwork in and around the villages of Birbhum and worked out an effective strategy to cope with heat.
“I always carry a fan with me,” she revealed. “In rural areas, women also carry a fan with them. I’m most happy with the heat.”
As with Sangeeta, “all my cotton saris come out. Thin saris are wonderful for the heat... chiffon also works well.”
For Indian men, slouching around the house in a “genji” (vest) is not a bad idea, but for Lord Gulam Noon, the curry millionaire, this is not an option when he goes to the House of Lords. The House of Lords is getting Indianised but not to the extent he can wander in wearing a loud bush shirt and chappals.
“I always wear a suit but now it is light cotton suits and cotton shorts,” said Noon, who also sticks to drinking water and nothing else. “It’s the best way to stop yourself from getting dehydrated.”
Not too many people will spare a thought for the reporters, photographers and television crew who have been camped for days outside St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington waiting for the Duchess of Cambridge to give birth to her baby, now overdue. After keeping the media waiting in the sun it would be cruel in the extreme if the royal family decided the birth should take place elsewhere.
The British are generally not that good with coping with the heat. The Raj types in solar hats that came back from India are now gone. Public Health England (PHE) officials advised people to stay cool, drink lots of cold fluids and keep an eye on those they know to be at risk.
Dr Angie Bone, heatwave plan leader for PHE, said: “In this continued hot weather, it’s important to remember that high temperatures can be dangerous, especially for people who may be vulnerable such as older people, young children and those with serious illnesses. For those working or exercising outdoors, strenuous physical exertion during the hottest part of the day should be kept to a minimum.”
However, actress Ayesha Dharker said she was having a lovely time with her one-year-old daughter, Kava. “We are in the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) where there is a splash pool in the central courtyard ideal for children.”
Claire Austin, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said there was no sign of temperatures dropping significantly in the coming days. “The rest of the week and into the weekend will remain dry, with temperatures cooling off towards the weekend at about 26 to 27 degrees. Next week the general trend will be warmer temperatures again, into the 30s, with an increased chance of showers,” she said.
The average in England and Wales for this time of year is 20-22 degrees.
Mark Bossley, chief vet at the Blue Cross hospital in Victoria, central London, warned: “It’s important to never leave your dog in a car on a hot day. Even parked in the shade with windows open, it can take just a few minutes for a dog to become fatally overheated and dehydrated.”
Zoo keepers have stocked their freezers with giant lollipops to keep their animals cool during the hot weather.
At Drusillas Park in Alfriston, East Sussex, racoons, otters and many of the primates have been enjoying the lollipops, which are made with frozen fruit.
|
