Summer Brigade

Akanksha Gupta is a second year law student at Panjab University. We meet her at the Student’s Centre at the university on a blistering summer afternoon. Dressed in jeans and a full-sleeved shirt with what looks like a laboratory coat on her,Gupta steps down from her Honda Activa scooter. Her face is hidden behind a printed dupatta wrapped around her face as though we were in the middle of a desert. “It’s the only thing that works and keeps the tan at bay,” says the petite girl who is soon joined by her friends,all similarly attired. With faces hidden behind over-size sunglasses and scarves/dupattas wrapped around,it becomes difficult to differentiate one from another. “This way,the hair does not go awry and it also prevents dust from settling on our faces,” pitches in B.Com student Gurpreet Dhindsa. “An extra shirt,preferably full-sleeved,is a must carry. All of us have a pair stashed in a compartment under the scooter’s seat,” points out Dhindsa. The girls provide valuable inputs on the right way to tie the dupatta around one’s face. “The layer on the head is double while the one covering the face is single. This is to prevent one from feeling suffocated,” explains Rupika Mehta,also a law student.

A few rounds on the university campus reveals that students are also resorting to laboratory coats to tackle the heat. “Available for as little as Rs 250,these offer a perfect cover and by suitably reflecting the heat,” says Neharika Grover,wearing a lab coat over a tunic and tights. “I also recommend the skin gloves that are available in Sector 15 market. They cost around Rs 100 and are perfect for those driving two-wheelers,” she says. The gloves,made of cotton,are rather long,ending much above the elbows and come in a light beige colour with elastics at the open end. For those wishing to sport T-shirts with short sleeves,it is the perfect summer accessory. “Ladies driving cars also wear them,” says shopkeeper Ashok Kumar.

Sunscreens are also a must have for the girls,the choice determined by the SPF numbers that best suit the skin. “Given the harshness of the Indian summer,I use a herbal sunscreen with an SPF level of 25,” says Gupta as she wraps her scarf,puts on her sunglasses and rushes to her next class.