There was no intimation of a storm when I left home for work. It was only after I hit the Expressway that I spotted the dark, menacing storm, roaring across the highrise-dotted dust plains that separate Delhi from Uttar Pradesh. Within seconds, an all-engulfing darkness descended at high noon and gale force winds swept down, whooshing their way through trees and scrub, scooping up dirt and millions of discarded plastic bags, and sending them swirling in the gathering gloom.

Pic/AFP