How Bengaluru’s night and early morning workers brave the cold at this time of the year

Sipping a cup of takeaway coffee or hot chocolate from your favourite cafe, turning the heater on in the car, and just driving around the city enjoying the crisp air… These are the winter joys of an upper crust Bengalurean. But in the world of Rajesh Gowda, a cab driver who takes most of the airport pickups through the night and morning, winter is a different ball game. With soaring petrol and diesel prices, turning on the heater of his cab amid the extreme cold is not an option. And, of course, hot chocolate is not even something he thinks about.

Bengaluru has witnessed a significant drop in temperature this winter, especially from mid-December, 2024. The Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru, in its observation data recorded at 8.30 a.m. on January 8, said that the minimum temperature recorded at the city observatory was 16.4 °C. The minimum temperatures recorded at HAL Airport and the Kempegowda International Airport were 15.2 °C and 15.0 °C. Just before that, on January 4, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) alerted a significant drop in temperatures, with the predicting a minimum of 10.2 °C, which is below the city’s January average minimum of 15.8 °C and is attributed to the cold wave sweeping across northern India.

As one of the coldest winters in a long time sweeps the city, night and early morning workers from across the city share with The Hindu how they manage to work amid the extreme weather conditions.  

Just keep driving

Gowda said the only way to keep himself warm is to just working. “If I sit idle, I start feeling cold, so I make sure I am constantly taking trips, if not I keep walking through the parking lot at the airport. It is very hard to take a short nap in the weather, so the best option is to keep moving. Most drivers are used to being in cold conditions, because Bengaluru is usually cold during the nights throughout the year, but winters are definitely more difficult even for us. I would love to turn on the heater in the car while waiting for my customers, but the cost of fuel is so high, and I cannot afford to do it. Winter is for another month, and I will somehow continue to manage,” he explained.

Similarly, 28-year-old Hanumanthappa, another cab driver, says the nights are freezing no matter how many sweaters or caps he wears. “The cold is really bad this year. I carry a flask of hot water to keep myself warm, and sometimes I stop at a Darshini if they are open or a roadside stall for a quick cup of coffee or tea. Despite the weather the work doesn’t stop, someone always needs a ride, whether it is to Majestic, the railway station, the airport, or home after a late shift. Bengaluru never really sleeps, and neither do we, no matter the weather conditions. Knowing I’m helping people reach home safe, especially in this weather, keeps me going. It is like all of us out here at night, auto and cab drivers, food delivery boys, we are all together for the city,“ Hanumanthappa said.  

Footpath vendors gathered early morning to distribute and sell vegetables fruits and flowers near Krishna Rajendra Market.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN

To keep city clean

The situation is similar for those who begin work early in the morning. Says Lakshmi K., a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Pourakarmika, “The cold mornings are the hardest. By the time we step out at around 4.30 a.m., the streets are covered in a thin layer of mist. I wear a sweater, wrap a thick shawl over my uniform and wear gloves that are provided to us by the BBMP, but the cold gets to you even when you’re sweeping nonstop, and you are constantly moving. Sometimes, the dust mixes with the mist and sticks to our faces or makes it hard to breathe, but we have been doing this for many years, and our body has gotten used to this.”

Lakshmi adds that it is tough, especially during winter, but they have no choice. “If we stop, garbage will pile up on streets, and the city will suffer. I keep telling myself that people rely on us to keep their neighborhoods clean. It is this thought that keeps me moving, even when my hands are frozen, and my back is aching. We Pourakarmikas know how to work through anything… rain, cold, or heat,” she said.

Pourakarmikas in early winter morning.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN

Maker of hot chai

A similar story unfolds when you talk to 22-year-old Ramya and her mother who sell tea and coffee on a pushcart at the Sarakki Market, J.P. Nagar, early in the morning. “We have to start our work early because that’s when most of our customers come. By 5 a.m., my mother and I set up our stall here at Sarakki Market. I light the stove to boil the water and milk, and that first bit of warmth from the flame is what keeps me going. My hands shiver while making the tea, but once the work starts, I don’t feel the cold as much,” she said.  

A tea seller serving his customers on a winter morning in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN

Ramya tells that people working in the market, auto drivers, pourakarmikas, and even IT workers heading to early shifts stop by for a hot cup of tea at her stall. “They say my tea gives them energy to start their day, and hearing that makes me proud. Standing in one place for hours in this weather is tough. Sometimes, I rub my hands near the stove to warm them, or sip my own tea to fight the cold. This is not an easy life, especially in winter, but the market depends on us, seeing people warm their hands on the tea glasses I serve makes me feel like I am helping them in my own small way,“ Ramya added.  

A small fire

Vendors at the Sarakki Market too said that winter mornings in the market are harsh despite the crowd and moving vehicles. Eeranna reaches Sarakki by 4.30 a.m. with his sacks of onions, and even though he wears a sweater, socks and a cap, it’s not enough. “The chill is heavy in the air, especially when the wind blows. To keep myself and the neighbouring vendors warm, I light a small fire in an old tin can, it may not seem like much, but it makes a big difference. I keep it burning next to me and warm my hands over it whenever the cold becomes unbearable. Sometimes, other vendors or even passersby join me for a few moments to feel the heat. It doesn’t last the whole morning, so I have to keep adding wood whenever I find some. This goes on at least till 8 a.m., when the weather gets a little warmer,” said Eeranna.