The 'cool' jackets are available in mutiple colours
For politicians sweating it out on the campaign trail, here is some good news.
Some scientists and engineers in Kolkata have invented what may be an answer to their prayers: a jacket that can keep them really, really cool.
The jackets are currently being tested by traffic policemen in Kolkata's outskirts. The feedback has been positive so far and commercial production of the jackets are likely to start soon.
The jackets are not exactly high fashion. They are cotton shirts fitted with solar panels on the back that get charged by the sun. Stitched into them are three or four tiny fans, like the ones in your computer's CPU.
Wear the contraption, flip a switch and a cool blast of air will swirl around you, bringing the body temperature down.
At least that's what the makers claim.
"If the outside temperature is 38 degrees, inside (the jacket) you will get 31 to 32 degrees. It is very good, " said SP Gon Chaudhuri, head of the Renewable Energy College in Kolkata.
Gon Chaudhuri is not some canny entrepreneur out to make a quick buck. He is a reputed scientist collaborating with the well-known S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences on this project.
So, have there been any inquiries from political parties?
"Not really," says Gon Chaudhuri, adding, "basically we are giving this to outdoor workers and the police. But these will be helpful for political leaders who are campaigning in the scorching sun. They can also use it to demonstrate that the jackets are environmentally friendly."
At the moment, the cost of production per jacket is roughly between Rs 1,400 and 1,600. The makers are trying to bring down the production cost to Rs 1,200.
Several companies have shown interest in manufacturing the jackets on a commercial scale. These firms are also believed to be talking to fashion designers to give these cool jackets a 'haute' look.