Urban heat is becoming an increasingly important social and environmental problem in India. Rising temperatures, recurrent heatwaves and the urban heat-island effect are increasing the demand for cooling, yet the ability to protect oneself from heat remains socially unequal. Households with greater economic resources are more likely to access air conditioners, coolers, better housing and reliable electricity, while low-income households and outdoor workers often remain more exposed to heat. This study examines this emerging cooling divide from a sociological perspective. It uses a quantitative, descriptive and comparative secondary-data research design based on government surveys, climate and energy reports, and recent empirical research on heat exposure and cooling access in India. The analysis focuses on trends in heat and cooling demand, socioeconomic differences in access to cooling, housing and occupational vulnerability, energy access and the broader social consequences of unequal heat adaptation. The findings indicate that urban heat is not experienced equally: socioeconomic position shapes both exposure and the ability to adapt. Access to cooling is strongly differentiated by urban residence, economic status and region, while occupational and caste-based inequalities further increase exposure among workers whose livelihoods require outdoor activity. The paper argues that access to thermal comfort is emerging as a new dimension of urban social inequality. The cooling divide therefore needs to be understood not simply as a difference in appliance ownership but as a broader inequality in the capacity to obtain protection from a changing climate.