When people speak of missing Delhi and its weather, they speak of winter. Conversations drift easily towards hot gulab jamuns, gajar ka halwa, makki ki roti with sarson ka saag, and endless afternoons spent basking in the soft winter sun in Delhi’s many public parks. Gulzar sahab immortalised Delhi winters by writing: “jadon ki narm dhoop aur aangan mein let kar.” Summer, on the other hand, is often treated as a season to escape, a time to pack bags and retreat to the hills. Delhi summers, however, have a beauty entirely their own.

By April, Delhi begins to shimmer under a fierce sun, but beneath the heat lies a season overflowing with colour, fragrance, and flavour. Fruit markets burst into life with pyramids of mangoes, Dussehri, Langda, and Chausa and many more, while watermelons cool in tubs of ice. Jamuns stain fingertips and tongue purple, and roadside vendors sprinkle black salt over slices of musk melon and cucumber. Litchis, peaches and plums adorn the fruit shops of Delhi.

The trees of Delhi celebrate summer with colour and fragrance. Fiery gulmohars blaze across avenues, amaltas drip with golden flowers, and bougainvillaea bloom over Delhi walls in whites, pinks, and oranges. Patches of Blue jacarandas appear among the green leaves. The air carries the fragrance of bela, chameli, mogra, harsingar, and raat ki rani.

Summer mornings belong to birds before the heat takes over. Koels scream from trees, parrots screech across balconies, and mynas hop about in gardens. Golden Orioles and Brown-headed Barbets seduce their mates in different ways.

And then comes the food and drink that make Delhi summers memorable. In the film Kisi Se Na Kehna, Saeed Jaffrey lovingly speaks about khus and how impossible it is to recreate its magic in Mumbai’s humidity. Extracted from vetiver roots, khus has a deep earthy fragrance and a remarkable cooling effect. Whether as perfume, woven cooling screens, or bright green sherbet, khus remains one of North India’s great summer pleasures. Alongside it come chilled nimbu pani, creamy lassi, tangy aam panna, and kulfis sold from handcarts.

Delhi summers are harsh, sweaty, fragrant, noisy, and delicious. And if one is being completely honest, air-conditioned homes and cars do make it a little easier to appreciate the flowers, birds, food, and heat.

Photos and text by Prerna Jain.