There's a joke that 'there are only three types of temperatures in India.' They say there are only 'hot, hotter, and hottest.' According to a survey by an organization, Indian cities have consistently accounted for 95-98 of the 'Top 100 Cities with High Temperatures in the World' for many years. In such an 'extreme heat nation' like India, particularly hot conditions have continued this year. Wenxuecity, an information site for overseas Chinese, published an article introducing that some Chinese international students living in India, unable to bear the heat, are returning to China earlier than planned.

Northern and central India have recently been hit by extreme high temperatures. The maximum temperature in the Banda district reached 48.2℃, and in the capital, New Delhi, it reached 45℃. New Delhi experienced 'the hottest May night in nearly 14 years,' meaning the minimum temperature was also 32℃, 5.7 degrees higher than average. The heatwave began at the end of April. The India Meteorological Department predicted it could continue until the end of May.

Lu Jiayi, a first-year Chinese female graduate student at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, also experienced the hottest period of her life. Lu explained, 'By the end of April, the forecast was already 40-43℃. It was hotter inside the dorm than outdoors.' Lu's dorm had no air conditioner, only a fan. The room was very small and poorly ventilated. She said, 'There was only one window without a screen, and if I opened it, I got bitten by mosquitoes.'

According to Lu, the fan running all night also blew hot air, and she felt as if her 'internal organs were boiling.' She had no choice but to take cold showers to cool down or drink large amounts of cold water. There was a water dispenser providing well-chilled water at the dorm building entrance, and Lu went to fetch cold water with her 1-liter water bottle. She said, 'I fetched water 4 or 5 times every night.'

During the day, she could spend time in classrooms with air conditioning, but the air conditioning wasn't very effective. So, Lu often went to cafes with her laptop. However, she had no choice but to go to foreign-affiliated chain stores, even if they were expensive. This was because local, ordinary cafes would not allow her to work in air-conditioned areas, and the areas where she could work were crowded and very hot.

Lu is from Shaanxi Province. Shaanxi, located in the inland, experiences significant temperature differences, and Lu had experienced 40℃ before. However, the high temperatures in India were 'on another dimension.' Lu endured 'boiling days' for about half a month, but said, 'I really couldn't bear it anymore and returned home.' Although the university had started its summer vacation, Lu had originally planned to stay in India to shoot some material. However, she gave up due to poor health. According to Lu, all her Chinese classmates returned home, and Indian students went to other places to escape the heat. (Translation/Editing: Kisaragi Hayato)