Sahyadrica

Note: A more detailed version of this article, among many other aspects that define Central India, is now a part of the book Our Roots Run Wild. Avail it at a reduced cost from the publisher's website , or from Amazon India . “ When thou hast lived as long as I have, Little Brother, thou wilt see how all the Jungle obeys at least one Law. And that will be no pleasant sight .” – Baloo to Mowgli, The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling It definitely lies in the centre. I debated with a friend who said it lies west, in Rajasthan. One said it is in Gujarat, and another, slightly down south in Andhra Pradesh. Well, to each his own. Everyone has their geographic theories of where the heart of India’s summer lies. For some it has been found in Mumbai (I couldn’t argue there: the already hot seaside city is slowly turning into a tangle of concrete buildings and tar roads – a soup for the heat island effect monster). But the historically famed and geographically appropriate locati...

This article contains material written on trips made in the months of February to May. However, the events are not represented in a chronological order, but as per the flow of the article. May 26. No one – man or woman – feels an angel when the hot weather is approaching . This year when we were enjoying the coldest February (8 degrees C), the temperatures abruptly rose to 39C on the 27 th of the same month. Such heat-waves are rather infamous in this coastal city, though, and are never welcomed. Yet if you wander away from the urban desert – concreted and paved, harsh on the eyes, burning your soles, and ideal for heat-strokes, you will find the summer angel that Rudyard Kipling only briefly mentioned in the classic Plain Tales from the Hills. I went in search of the angel this summer, and found that she really dwells everywhere in the subtleties of life. If you‘ve ever felt the calm and coolness provided by a tree in the corner of the street, or felt an ethereal breath...