Captain Brijesh Chowta, 43, an ex-Indian army officer, has remained disciplined regarding his food and exercise routines even now. As he contests from the Dakshina Kannada constituency for Lok Sabha elections 2024, this BJP candidate has been campaigning tirelessly for 10-12 hours a day despite the summer heat. It’s not very different for R Padmaraj, the Congress candidate from this constituency, who has been campaigning from 7am until late evening while coping with the high humidity in the area.
Dakshina Kannada, a coastal belt of Karnataka, has high humidity for most of the year, which heightens between March and May. Heat exhaustion, fatigue, dehydration and excessive sweating are common during this time. However, this year, the Dakshina Kannada District Disaster Management Authority has issued a heatwave alert across these months, raising concerns about the health of those working tirelessly for elections in Dakshina Kannada.
Elections in Dakshina Kannada: Working through the humidity
Chowta shares that since his army days, he was habituated to waking up before sunrise. Even now, his days begin with a glass of warm water with a dash of lemon and honey. An avid runner, Chowta also loves walking and doing surya namaskars (sun salutations). While campaigning, however, his walking comprises simply moving from one house to the next. In doing so, he completes 10,000 steps a day, which helps him rest well at night.
Padmaraj, 53, an advocate, was known for walking across Mangalore, covering 10–12kms on foot daily. “While I have continued walking, it is no longer a brisk walk anymore — I visit people and interact with them while campaigning. I stand for long hours,” he says. However, he compensates for the deviation from his exercise routine by staying away from lifts. “While campaigning, I take the stairs instead of the elevator in apartments,” he shares.
Eating local produce to stay fit
Chowta and Padmaraj unanimously believe that eating local and seasonal foods from the coast is the secret to their good health. Chowta prefers traditional Tulunad food — a variety of dosa or pundi (rice dumplings) and a hot cup of tea for breakfast, fish curry meals, boiled rice and a glass of buttermilk for lunch and a steaming bowl of rice porridge (ganji) at night. He explains, “Such foods are fiber-rich, hydrating and cooling on hot summer days.”
Chowta adds that traveling during campaigns can affect mealtimes. “However, I am against eating junk. I ensure that my team and I eat healthy local produce such as watermelons, bananas or apples while on the go,” he says. He explains that as the coastal belt is extremely humid during March and April, he and his team relish locally-grown watermelons at Polali’s temple fair, which act as coolants, and unsalted cashews, which provide energy. Other means of staying hydrated while campaigning include tender coconut, pomegranate juice and buttermilk.
For Padmaraj, too, there is no substitute for home-cooked meals. The Mangalorean relishes the staple coastal diet — a healthy blend of veggies, boiled rice and seafood. While impromptu routines are common while campaigning for elections, Padmaraj focuses on staying hydrated throughout the day. “I ensure there are 3–4 flasks of boiled water in the car and I keep hydrating frequently. Also, my snacks comprise dry fruits and locally available fruits like bananas.” He adds, “These are healthy and an instant energy source.”
Padmaraj also tells Happiest Health that he has never stayed hungry since the campaign began. He credits it to the love shared by people in the form of homemade food, hot cups of tea or coffee, or cooling tender coconut water during campaign visits. He adds, “Given a choice between tea or tender coconut, I am quick to choose the cooling beverage.”
Work, serve, sleep, repeat
Contesting for Lok Sabha elections from Dakshina Kannada means traveling the length and breadth of the coastal stretch and long-distance commutes for campaigning. Amidst everything, Padmaraj ensures that he gets four hours of uninterrupted sleep at night, which is enough to re-energize him. Chowta shares that when he is tired, he takes a quick nap while on the go. “Having been in the army, I learned to push the body to sleep less,” said Chowta.
With just a few days before the elections in Dakshina Kannada, as relieving spells of rain hit certain places in and around Mangalore while pre-monsoon showers remain largely absent, the election fever continues rising. While candidates campaign actively, their unified fight against the summer heat and humidity is evident.
