Mumbai was knee-deep in water, when US Consul General of Mumbai, Edgard D Kagan, first experienced its resilience. The diplomat was barely a few days old in the city when, on August 29, 2017, a torrential downpour caused parts of the suburbs to flood. "I was trying to take the Eastern Expressway through Kurla, and got caught in one of the highway overpasses," Kagan recalls. "What I remember was how people from neighbouring areas waded through water, bringing trays of chai for those [stranded] in the cars. They had no idea who anybody was, and some of their houses were also flooded, but they still came out. It's then that I had this great feeling about this city."

Two years on, as Kagan prepares to leave for New Delhi, where he will continue his work in India, but in a bigger role as Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy, his love for Mumbai has grown manifold. That doesn't make leaving any easy, says Kagan, when we meet him at the US Consulate in BKC. "I am heartbroken," he confesses. "My wife, children and I were all very happy here. It's hard to leave a place, where you are so happy."