Winters are very special in delhi: this is the time when you actually wear your riches on your ill-formed body and then strut about at weddings and art exhibitions. From the now much-despised shahtoosh shawls to cheap pashminas, you know you've arrived in Delhi when the airport itself starts smelling of naphthalene balls. Just about everyone takes out their woollens and even if it is an Oswal and not a Burberry, fashion statements need to be made. You need to tell the world you own a mink even though they may confuse it with rabbit fur! But this is the charm of Delhi in winter.

There are flights that you will miss because for years we have not been able to get rid of the fog. You will go for long walks in Lodhi Gardens and suddenly see the sun setting at about 5 p.m. Parties are all about faux fire-places lit with Crompton bulbs rather than real fire but then who cares.

There is a certain magic to Delhi in winter and it really needs to be savoured. This is the only other time when we are short of power which pretty much makes it an all year round affair. Heaters are on sale furiously and you have the handcarts selling bread and hard-boiled eggs, something I have still not been able to fathom.

Gajar ka halwa suddenly replaces tiramisu and it is at these times, that the Delhiwalla bares his real persona: wedding cards become ubiquitous in most Delhi homes. It is also the time of year when people suddenly inform the world they own farmhouses. Delhi is meant to be enjoyed in the environs of all these illegal farmhouses - they have heated pools and cold hosts but this is what does the trick. It is not important who you meet or whose house you are seen at. What is critical is that during winter if you are home, then you are either India's Prime Minister or just some poor sod who hasn't been socially active. Because winter has something for everyone!

Delhi also becomes an all-day experience in winter. If it's a weekend, you will see the farmer in each of us suddenly emerge; we'll chomp on carrots and cucumber as if they were going out of style. Then, there'll be the sugarcane juicewalla who'll have set up a stall only to add to that rustic experience and all the world will wonder what on earth is really going on.

Here's a quick guide to surviving winter in Delhi. Ignore it at your own peril.