This past winter was one of Chennai’s coolest and longest in recent history, an unexpected yet welcome effect of climate change. But nothing good lasts forever, and our Indian summer is back with a bang! A temperature map of Asia recently went viral on X, with India glowing an alarming shade of red. And with the current delicate world situation, high cost of flight tickets, and LPG shortage, it is more difficult than ever to escape to another location. Therefore I have prepared this summer survival guide to help you hunker down and sweat your way through another sultry season without losing your mind.

I grew up with a Western ideal of what summer means: driving with the top down, pool parties, grilling outdoors, watersports at summer camp, bikini bodies with golden tans. But in this part of the world, summer has a completely different vibe: pouring sweat, dehydration headaches, ACs conking out, road rage. If the bikini is America’s summer uniform, then ours is the scarf-and-sleeves combination that young ladies don when riding two-wheelers, which makes them look like patterned ninjas. On that note, let’s get to the first tip for surviving these sweltering temperatures, which is dressing for comfort and protection rather than ambitious aesthetics.

Ditch the athleisure wear with its synthetic fabrics and skintight fit. You might think the sweat-wicking quality makes it practical, but trust me, our ancestors knew what they were doing when they opted for thin, soft cottons that allow the skin to breathe. We are so fortunate to have access to pure cotton clothing; with growing concerns around microplastics and how much of them we actually ingest and absorb, some are now questioning whether synthetic fabrics may affect our hormones or overall health. Women in other countries struggle to find and afford clothing brands that use only cotton, while we have an abundance of them. Take advantage of this privilege and keep it alive by supporting smaller labels. Personally, I feel far cooler and more protected in the heat wearing flowy and airy garments, like a maxi dress with sleeves, than I would wearing fewer clothes, like a mini skirt and sleeveless top. That thin layer of breathable fabric protects my skin from the sun while allowing air to flow — not having to shave is merely a bonus!

As for footwear, the ballet flat has come back in style, with modern variations such as the mesh Mary Jane and the split-toe Tabi. As chic as these flats look, that effect will quickly be negated by the stench of sweaty feet, so forgo them in favour of sandals, such as a classic Kolhapuri or a rugged Birkenstock.

We also have to adapt our hair and makeup routines to the rainforest-like humidity. I’ve noticed that Indian women often equate wearing our hair down with looking presentable and pretty, and wearing it tied back with looking simple and homely. This leads to many frizzy-maned dames rocking a halo of fuzz around their heads at cocktail parties, determinedly wearing their hair down in spite of how uncomfortable it feels. They don’t realise that using some balm or wax to smooth their hair back into a slick ponytail or bun would look neater, not to mention keep them feeling cooler — short-haired men won’t understand how having a thick curtain of hair against your neck can make us feel disproportionately hotter!

So please, be open to wearing your hair up and away from your face, and accessorise with headbands or hairpins so you still feel dolled up. Regarding makeup, by now you are well aware of the standard summer beauty advice: use sunscreen religiously, keep it light by using tinted moisturiser or BB creams instead of foundation, and use primer and setting spray if you need your makeup to last a few hours.

Surviving summer in South India becomes exponentially harder when you have children at home during their school holidays. Both stay-at-home moms and working moms alike panic at the conundrum of how to keep the kids entertained and off screens. The intense heat makes it difficult to play outside, so we experience our own tropical version of cabin fever, with kids bouncing off the walls indoors, moms waiting for the sun to go down a bit so we can finally chuck them out to play cricket or hopscotch. One way to survive this is to enroll your child in some of the plentiful summer camps and classes available today. These are shared far and wide in school WhatsApp groups, and some Chennai influencers post about them as well; you can also scour local newspapers. The only downsides to this option are that they can be expensive, and they force your child to be on a schedule when that might be exactly what they do not want during their time off from school. For example, my children used to happily attend summer camps, but now that they are 10 and 12, they beg me not to put them in any. They love having the days free for lolling about at home, or having impromptu play dates, and I don’t blame them.

Therefore, another way to get through these hot and idle weeks is to lower your standards and build your village. Lower your standards to not expect your children to be educated, nourished, productive or entertained wholesomely at all times. Let them sleep in, have a little extra screen time, and bicker with each other at home. Build your village by forging connections with their friends’ mothers, and suggest that you each take turns hosting play dates. And here once again you must lower your standards – a play date doesn’t mean you have to take the kids somewhere or order special food. Remember how you and your friends used to spend hours at each other’s homes, making up your own games and eating whatever the family would normally eat? Isn’t the same good enough for our children, rather than always taking them to a turf or arcade? All our kids need is each other and a safe place to hang out together, so keep it simple by giving them just that.

What about adult play dates? With how involved we parents are with school today, it feels as though we too are on summer holidays and deserve to have some more fun with our friends, especially now that we don’t have to get up early for school. But what ends up happening is that we see even less of our friends during this time. Everyone travels, whether to Kodaikanal or Europe, and the days in between travels are spent preparing, packing, or recovering. And with all the gastronomic indulgence on these travels, we prefer to avoid eating out and drinking while at home, which is another buzzkill for socialising. So how do you stay connected with your friends with all these parameters? One indoor activity that has taken the world by storm is Mahjong. I must confess that I paid to take a Mahjong course but have not played once since! However I will use my free time this summer to get some games going and catch up with or get to know some lovely ladies in the process. Another activity I have never done with a girlfriend here is get a pedicure, but this seems like the perfect productive and non-calorific hangout for having a long cozy chat. Finally, since I am always preaching to “keep it simple”, the number one way to catch up with a friend in Chennai during summer is to take a walk together. We are all in eternal pursuit of getting more steps, and once the sun is low in the sky, it is bearable enough to take a brisk long walk. Once I learned my bff’s usual walking time, I invited myself along one day, and it was so lovely to catch up without children or phone calls interrupting us – although I did have to ask my much fitter friend to slow down! So if you miss your friend but don’t feel like dressing up or meeting for a meal or drinks, get one of these simple hangouts on the calendar.

As you can see, whether it’s our clothes, our kids, or our social lives, a return to simplicity is the best way to survive a sweltering summer. Stay cool, dear readers!