The sharp winter chill gripping Ludhiana has woven a unique social fabric, where the biting cold fosters warmth through community bonfires and a booming market for traditional winter comforts. With daylight fading and mercury dipping persistently, residents are turning to shared fires, roasted snacks, and heating solutions, giving a significant boost to seasonal businesses that had been waiting anxiously for the cold to arrive.
Surge in Demand for Traditional Winter Snacks
After a sluggish and delayed start to the season, the intense cold of the past few days has triggered a sharp increase in the sale of classic winter treats. Vendors and wholesalers across the city report a significant pickup in demand for items like groundnuts and gachak. Most of the groundnuts supplied in Ludhiana are sourced from Rajasthan and Gujarat, according to local traders.
Anjarul Alam, a wholesaler based in Dhandari Kalan, shared that he procured nearly 250 sacks of groundnuts, each weighing 40 kg, from Rajasthan. "I am hopeful of good sales now as the cold has finally set in. People prefer warm, roasted snacks in this weather," he said. Echoing this sentiment, another trader, Azhar Hussain, mentioned sourcing around 40 quintals of groundnuts from Gujarat in anticipation of the rising demand.
However, the delayed winter has left its mark on the balance sheets. Traders confirm that overall sales are still nearly 40% lower compared to the same period last year. A seller operating in Civil Lines explained, "Because winters were delayed, sales so far are nearly 40% less than what we had around this time last year." Their hope now rests on the weather. "We are hoping that the cold conditions continue till Lohri so that the season this year turns out good for us," he added.
Bonfire Culture Ignites Sales of Coal and Angithis
The cold wave has done more than just increase snack sales; it has lit up the market for heating essentials. There has been a dramatic spike in the sale of coal, firewood, angithis (braziers), and barbeque equipment as people seek affordable warmth for homes and community gatherings.
Bali, a seller of coal-wood angithis and barbeque units, described an unprecedented jump in business. "Till December, we were selling barely two to three angithis a day but in the last two days alone, sales have jumped to nearly 50 units on both days," he revealed. His angithis, priced between Rs 100 and Rs 350, are now selling briskly. "Thankfully, the cold has arrived. This is our main season," Bali stated.
Ram Singh, a coal and firewood trader, echoed this, noting a demand increase of 30% to 40% in a short span. "Winters are essential for us. Many small businesses and livelihoods depend entirely on cold wave conditions," he said, highlighting the ripple effect that benefits seasonal traders, labourers, and transporters.
Community Warmth Amidst the Chill
Beyond commerce, the cold has reshaped social interactions. Residents point out that while heaters keep people isolated indoors, angithis and bonfires create communal spaces. Ravinder, a local resident, captured this sentiment: "Weather otherwise is dull and bleak but the warmth of angithi is a good excuse to step out and sit together." Street corners and neighbourhood patches have become huddling points where friends, neighbours, and even strangers share conversations and winter snacks, finding warmth in togetherness against the cold backdrop.
Thus, Ludhiana's winter narrative is twofold: a crucial economic driver for cold-dependent trades and a social catalyst that brings communities closer, proving that even the sharpest dip in temperature can kindle a shared sense of warmth and hope.
