Fighting winter in cotton shirt

By Arjita & Shradha

TAB:Woolen sweater: check, gloves: check, socks: check, warm bunny cap: check – folks are bundled up to battle chilly Himachal winters. But one man walks around like summer’s here. “If Gandhiji could wear a dhoti and shawl the entire year, why not us?” he explains. Famous in the campus for his all-year-round outfit – a white cotton half-sleeve shirt, trousers and chappals, it’s the curious case of Dr. S. Sundraraman.

We hear often of ‘a flexible mind and a strong body’, but his motto comes with a twist, “A strong mind and a flexible body”. Movement is the key, “Pilgrims who walk up till Vaishno Devi start removing their warm clothes on the way – as the body becomes hot”. He enjoys a walk, uses little transportation. After an early morning cold water bath, he walks around while completing house chores. He always bathes with cold water, twice a day.

A vegetarian, he consumes seasonal food - sometimes in raw form, sometimes without salt - the diet varies. “People get defensive, I get adaptive,” says he. In the scorching summers of Tamil Nadu, in his home-state, he doesn’t use a fan. No prize for guessing then his dislike for AC. The trick is to, “manipulate little of the outside, instead change the inside.”

He pursued higher education alongside a 16 year service in the Indian Air Force. Retired, he completed a PhD, and began teaching at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior. He has been in Himachal for two years now, teaching at the School of Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Management in CUHP. Never once spotted as someone biting the cold, he seems to taste it.

"Jo dar gaya, wo mar gaya,” he believes. Is it that easy to adapt? “To get used to a change in weather, my body needs 48 hours. I don’t suggest anyone to follow my routine suddenly. This has been my way of life for 25 years.”