“Why so glum? I bet it’s because of this terribly depressing downpour,” Sir PM checked on his friend. In July, when the monsoon was in full force, their midnight sessions were confined to the interiors of St Thomas Cathedral. They would chitchat for a bit about the city’s goings-on, over chai and khari, and head back to their respective pedestals after that.

That night, incessant rainfall meant they were safely seated inside the historic cathedral. “Pheroze, the rain is welcome when compared to what the city has to contend with from an environmental standpoint. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know that the newly appointed state government has decided to resume work, so the Metro-3 car shed is set up inside the Aarey’s forest,” she rattled off, sounding extremely upset. “Of course, I heard about it. We have so much to lose, our precious green lungs. Dr Viegas was telling me about this recent development that he read about in Mid-day; it was their Page 1 story -- five big cats had been spotted in the very same location. Can you imagine! Wait, I think I have that copy with me. Here you go; read it while I fix us some chai from the nearby tapri,” Sir PM handed over the copy of the newspaper that Lady Flora began poring over in a flash. Ten minutes later, he returned, thermos flask in tow.