After feeling the whiff of winter in Calcutta for the first time in eight years, I realise what is so fantastic about it.
It does not get as harsh as Delhi nor is it like Bombay, where winter is just a season in school text books and clothes stores.
The winter of Calcutta makes you want to stay beneath the blanket in the morning, but makes you get out for the hot cup of tea. It makes you hate having a bath, but makes you love the hot water. It makes you want to sit in the sun, but not too long either. It makes you want to take a walk in the evenings and see if your breath smokes, but pull the shawl a bit closer. It makes you want to wear warm clothes, but does not bury you in them. It chaps your lips, but does not flake your skin.
It's what you look forward to all year round and you miss it when it's gone.