May 25. “Button, hi. How are you doing? Is the heat bothering you?”

“It’s too hot. What my younger daughter was saying at dinner-time is so correct. The heat this time is different. The temperature hasn’t changed much but the heat makes your skin burn coupled with a lot of sweating.”

“The Bangkok trip has darkened my skin quite a bit.”

“I can see that.”

“Delhi is burning at 48 degrees Celsius and the highest recorded temperature in Gujarat a few days back was 48.5.”

“I doubt if people step out of their homes or workplace after 11 in the morning!”

“I pity our strays who must be thirsty as hell. Am trying to find a way by which I can get the housing societies to keep vessels of water which they can drink out of. Any suggestions? My elder daughter’s idea of keeping small bowls of water on the window ledges outside has worked like a shot. It’s mostly crows, pigeons and parrots who come and partake of the food we put out and the water.”

“That’s very thoughtful.”