Air-conditioners on full blast, frequent showers, glass after glass of cold water, ORS, daaber jol and every other home remedy notwithstanding, every time the average Kolkatan glanced at the mercury kissing the 40°C mark, a hand reached out to wipe the brow and the other tapped the phone to order something thanda!
As we wait for the rain, here is a look at what the city ordered on Swiggy Instamart between April 8 and 18 to try and keep its cool.
Ice creams to the rescue
Kolkata ordered a whopping 50,000 (yes, you read that right!) ice creams between April 8 and 18. On April 15 (Poila Baisakh) alone, the ice cream orders on Swiggy Instamart were close to 8,000.
On April 15 alone, there were 8,000 ice cream orders on Swiggy Instamart Shutterstock
Tatini Das, who works for a pharmaceutical company, had an ice cream everyday to see her through the heatwave. She said, “My fridge was stacked with ice-creams of all kinds. From cups, popsicles, cassata to ice-cream sandwiches — I had ordered a bunch of them from Swiggy on April 10. The stock lasted for about a week. I had one every day while I worked from home.” Swiggy had some exciting offers for Kolkatans that also boosted the sales of ice-creams.
Discarding aerated drinks
Kolkatans chose lassi, milkshakes, cold coffee and smoothies over aerated drinks to keep hydrated when the mercury touched 41°C in the second week of April. Instamart received 16,000 orders in 10 days for milk-based products.
Shreya Roy, a college student from north Kolkata, went with the doctors’ advice of staying away from aerated beverages “Doctors said that these carbonated drinks dehydrate the body more. That’s when I switched to lassies and buttermilk and ordered them online. All this while, I was gulping down a bottle of Coke everyday on my way back from college,” said Shreya, who travels 11km from her north Kolkata home to a south Kolkata college.
Swiggy officials stated that instant drink mixes, water, ice cubes, and soda were also ordered during this time.
People chose milk-based drinks over aerated ones to deal with the heat Shutterstock
Healthy food in demand
Fruits, juices, curds and yoghurts were also some of the most-ordered products during the heatwave condition in Kolkata. Doctors across the city advised people to consume food that keeps one cool from inside, and it seems that citizens took the advice seriously.
A Swiggy spokesperson said, “With the temperatures in Kolkata rising, consumers are increasingly looking for ways to cool off and find some relief from the sweltering heat. In the last few days, an increasing number have turned to Swiggy Instamart to have ice cream, juices, lassis, and other items, providing them a much-needed respite.”
Swiggy stated that water stations, resting benches, and buttermilk were made available to the delivery executives at the Instamart pods Shutterstock
How delivery executives provided services
Swiggy also stated that they were mindful of the well-being of the delivery partners who worked through the unfavourable weather conditions.
The spokesperson told us, “Delivery partners have resting benches and water stations available at the Instamart pods. Additionally, like last year, buttermilk was made available across a vast majority of Instamart pods to help them stay hydrated. Delivery partners have access to full-sleeve t-shirts made with breathable fabric to offer protection from the harsh sun. We also ensure they have a small delivery radius to avoid prolonged sun exposure.”