Rohmerian summer days are upon us.

In a matter of a few weeks, once again, debates around air conditioning will gather steam. Once again heat wave after heat wave will burn our senses and memories of all that came before. Are Europeans ready for the scorching sun? I think not. But is air conditioning the only answer to what lies ahead? Definitely not.

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Wednesday was one of those gray-green early spring days. I made the most of the moody, overcast, deeply gray monsoon-ish looking day, by taking a walk in the neighbourhood.

Outside the breeze felt a kind of cool that’s uncommon in Gothenburg. It was a little damp, hinting at the summer that awaits. Heavy clouds lingered on the horizon. A strong wind picked up after a few minutes and the dark clouds felt closer than before. There’s a visceral pleasure about taking such walks in inclement weather, just as the storm gathers around. Parts of the roads were illuminated by the last shards of sunlight and as I continued to chase clouds they cast a spectacular silver light on trees.

The damp, cold-warm, swollen air reminded me of the breeze we felt in the comfort of the air cooler in Delhi. I've written about this before here: An ode to the good old, environment-friendly air cooler

Those (childhood) nights in the cooler were as good as summer escapades, a short trip to the hills, a way to get away, far far away from the great Indian summer. During those nights I would spend hours in that waking-dreaming-writing-thinking space. Eyes open, or glued to the ceiling fan, I would detach, remove and uproot myself from my immediate environs and float into an in-between ether like space. My mind would wander off to a place where it would be raining and where the rooms of the house would be packed with laughter and conversation. This dream-space cave was synonymous with the air cooler for all 17 summers I spent in the small north Indian town, sheltered from the blistering heat.

Well before the air conditioner (and the beloved mangoes) the air cooler has been an intrinsic part of the north Indian summer. It’s always been affordable, doesn’t not rack up a huge electricity bill and can be even be assembled at home. Most years my father set up ours while my cousin did the job for my grandmother upstairs. As kids we made sure to fill up the tank with fresh water every evening, so it was clean and rid of any mosquito parties.

It really was that simple.

Air coolers work in a pretty straightforward way pulling hot or warm air through a damp layer of khus (vetiver). As the water evaporates, it takes the heat off the air sending indoors a colder breeze, sometimes laced with tiny water droplets. We understood the mechanism even as kids. It worked very well in our household because the north Indian summer is so dry. But it worked in humid environs too, at my cousin’s place in Mumbai, one just needed to keep a window open or set up the cooler in a partly-closed space (like in the balcony door).

As kids we didn’t know how much of a savior they were! A true middle ground between a simple ceiling fan and the power guzzling air con. The quintessential, beloved north Indian middle class appliance. They’re easy to maintain, and are built to last. My father would dismantle ours at the end of August each year and keep it in the store room for next year. Year on year, we just needed to replace the khus padding, the rest of it made of iron, aluminum or later, plastic, was good to go.

This Gothenburg wind, oddly took me back to those air cooler nights. Laden, moist, and only a little soggy. The wind felt like my friend’s bedroom on a thick June afternoon as we pretended to do summer holiday homework. In this wind as I continue my walk, I notice familiar facades. Against the gray sky, the greenery shines hard, as if illuminated by a metallic reflection (think aluminum or steel).

Gray on green. A marshy silver on lush foliage. Why doesn’t this gray or this same dull green not stand out as much when the sun is out? It looked as if the gray sky highlighted the green, making it shine, glitter even. On similar gray days in Delhi, I’d noticed how the silver skies make everything look washed out before rains, but after once it has poured, the greenery feels empowered, emboldened in its hues.

The tightness in the atmosphere at the end of an excessively cold winter feels similar to that of a Delhi evening at the end of a heat-dazed day. The neighbourhood seems to relish in the relaxation. Everyone breathing lighter, feeling better. Four years ago in Delhi, I’d noticed similar vitality in the streets at the end of a torrid, long 42 degrees Celsius day in April:

Outside the world was chirpy, bursting with life let loose after a heat attack. Everyone seem charged, slightly inspired, hazy from all the afternoon heat still radiating from the asphalt around.

On the walk, observing the gray green around, the wind picks up and embalms my senses. A hint of petrichor in it and I know rain is around the corner. And before I know, a slow, small rain starts to fall. I don’t have my umbrella, neither does my light jacket have a hood. I take in the thick droplets, first of the season. Looking around as children kicking ball vanish inside the school building, and elders duck for cover in their cars or hide behind the hoods of their jackets. I continue to walk, the rain now falling in a steady cascade.

I cast a glance around, the grass looks greener, shining ever more in the rain. The neighborhood seems lighter, as if smiling. I splash on a pool of water, compulsively ejecting from my body that last trace of winter depression. Its tough to put to words, but this is similar to how elated I used to feel sleeping in the cooler at night at home. I’d written about that feeling, basking in the cooler wind at night:

Nights I assumed would not be as dreary and hopeless. I dreamt how I would watch TV, the volume cranked so high, to nullify the noise of the cooler’s motor. I dreamt up mornings of lethargy, induced by a good night’s sleep. I remembered how ages ago meandering kids, wandering adults and perspiring house-helps had all found hope and solace in front of the cooler in my parents’ house. And after all these years, I was happy to experience, that the cooler was just as efficient, unfailing in the comfort it elicits.

Now that I think about it, air coolers are so much easier to maneuver, move and manage. They can be personalized to fit any space — ranging from a sprawling living room, to a verandah to a terrace garden to balconies, patios, or open kitchens. Air conditioners serve other purposes for much higher temperatures.

As Europe braces for a strong summer, with the “Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought”, we’re going to have those annual conversations about the lack of air conditioning. Heat waves will serenade us, drought will prevail and temperatures will soar in direct proportion to the number of tourists. To mediate the debate, as a bridge between fans and robust air con, the air cooler could wager some space. Like I wrote in my blog:

(The cooler) nourishes our beings, sullies our summers and fortifies our houses against the torrid April 43 degrees summers we are now living through. And in a way it also holds an answer to our prevailing climatic conditions. In its resilience and conservation, the cooler consumes a lot less energy and keep the house cooler for a much, much longer time. The low-energy consumption is definitely not an answer to the Mays and Junes of 48 degrees, but it sure can help us out in the starting months of March April. And at this time, that too is a welcome alternative to air conditioners.

April 2022, in Delhi when I bought my own air cooler and used it to soothe our bruised battered summer beaten bodies, I remember dropping in ice cubes into the water to reduce the temperature by at least one more degree. I hadn’t done that in my childhood because we didn’t need it then. But in that summer of 2022, I was saved by the cooler for a good month, delaying the use of the AC by another 40-42 days. Depending on need, budget and space we could choose similarly, between options rather than going for the flashiest appliance.

Energy smartness now more than ever is the need of the moment, plus the air cooler will give you far more mobility and choice of being. As summer dribbles close, I’m going back to revisit some Eric Rohmer movies, and I think he too would prefer the air cooler over the air con.