Have you experienced the "bone cold" of an Indian winter? Or are you enjoying a pleasant 25°C in Chennai right now? Let me know in the comments below.

If you visit North India between December and February, pack for a European winter. Bring thermal underwear, a heavy down jacket, and wool socks. You are not going to the beach. You are going to a place where monkeys huddle around street fires and the morning fog turns your eyelashes into ice.

When you picture India, your brain likely serves up images of sweltering heat: scorching deserts in Rajasthan, humid beaches in Goa, or steamy jungles in Kerala. We tend to think of India as the place you go to escape the cold.