Winter set in a couple of days ago, marked by a sharp and unmistakable drop in temperature across Delhi NCR. The change did not build gradually. One morning it was simply colder, in a way that altered how the day had to be approached. The air felt drier, mornings required an extra layer, and evenings stopped being forgiving. This early phase of winter always feels slightly abrupt here, as if the season switches rather than transitions. For anyone living in Delhi NCR, this temperature drop becomes part of the daily calculation almost immediately, affecting sleep, commute, and even appetite.
There is a particular clarity that comes with this kind of weather. The heat recedes enough to make movement easier, but the cold has not yet settled into the bones. Walks feel sharper, and the body reacts faster in the mornings. At the same time, there is an underlying tension because winter in Delhi NCR carries its own baggage, especially around air quality. Even before pollution peaks, the colder air feels heavier. It lingers. Windows stay shut longer, and sunlight becomes something to notice rather than take for granted. The season announces itself not just through temperature, but through small behavioral shifts.
Food habits adjust quickly when winter arrives. The craving for warm, dense food appears without much thought. Gajar halwa becomes relevant again, not as a novelty but as a seasonal constant. Having it at Bikanerwala felt almost procedural, the way certain things do every year. It is less about indulgence and more about marking time. Gajar halwa belongs to winter in north India in the same way certain clothes or routines do. Its presence signals that the season has officially started, regardless of what the calendar says.
Eating it this early in the season carried a sense of alignment rather than celebration. The texture, warmth, and heaviness suit the colder days. It is filling in a way that feels appropriate when the body is adjusting to lower temperatures. Seasonal food often works because it matches the environment, not because it is nostalgic. That practicality tends to get overlooked. Gajar halwa is not light, and that is the point. Winter demands more energy, more warmth, and slower digestion. The body seems to recognize that instinctively.
Noting these changes feels useful, even if nothing about them is new. Winter arrives every year, and yet it always feels slightly different depending on timing and intensity. This year, the drop in temperature was sudden enough to demand attention. Writing it down is a way of acknowledging that shift. The season has started, routines will adjust, and small markers like food and clothing will continue to signal where the year is headed. There is no judgment in that, only observation. Winter is here, and life in Delhi NCR will now move at its pace for the next few months.