Perhaps the most enduring image from the Kerala floods is of a fisherman selflessly kneeling to help victims climb aboard inflatable boats. It’s true. Some superheroes don’t wear capes.

The floods in Kerala, considered the worst in a century, have claimed over 324 lives and displaced over three lakh people. Once Kerala survives this, it’s evident that God’s own country will have to be rebuilt from scratch. And they'll need our help.

Weather in India is as contentious as our language, cuisine, and politics. It is not just a conversation starter, it is where our differences go to die and find a new life. If we didn’t have the weather, how would we discuss our government’s corruption and apathy, based on that one pothole, with perfect strangers?

According to the International Commission on Stratigraphy, we’ve been living in the Meghalayan age that began with a drought 4,200 years ago. While that might cause excitement among nerds, it’s a reminder that we are ever closer to the global water crisis.

Trying to live sustainably is not easy. Some days, I’m too tired to fight the battle. It’s hard, time-consuming, frustrating, inconvenient, and expensive. But I know it’s worth it.

When I was growing up, milk packets would be washed and stuck on kitchen tiles for drying – for rotis to be packed in for lunch. After a little wear and tear, mom would fold the plastic packets and use them as a trivet. Long before recycling became hip, every middle-class household practiced it.

How do you say goodbye to something you’ve known your entire life? After all, plastic is almost like an honorary family member in most middle-class households. But, to paraphrase Spider Man, “With great awareness, comes great responsibility.”

Whichever way you lean in the age-old debate of Delhi vs Mumbai, you have to admit the capital holds the edge in one area. Delhi HC’s order saving 16,500 trees from being chopped is a far cry from axe-happy Mumbai’s approach of felling 5,000 trees for Metro-3.