Deja Vu - Finally, Climate Change comes home to India

For years, they have been branded as tree huggers, friends have broken contact, family tolerates their pathetic attempts to compost and life went on as usual.

They were called conspiracy theorists, sometimes leftists, very often anti-development. One thing they have never been called is simply as nature lovers, forest lovers, ocean lovers and generally, a hopeless romantic when it comes to all things forest. 

But they were scorned. And are being scorned. Made fun of, rarely cheered.

They are the climate age's doomsday artists. People who have lived in the wild, have smelt the fresh flowers of the pongam and people, in their own individual manner, have been calling out to save the planet for years and years.

They started howling 20 years back. And got a classic silent treatment as if business was usual. Many people fared worse. They pushed hard and were pushed back. Relegated to the extremes of a rapidly developing society, they were not even considered as obstructions. More like pests. No one needs to crush them. They are just a song on a loop.

They regularly broadcast fears and concerns but face a numbed audience. Busy buying houses and cars, and more cars and if possible, atleast one or two more houses. If some people get time from their numbness, they shop hard. And live hard. And party hard. You live only once, live and let die!

Yes, now the earth is pushing back. Rather earth's final effort to resuscitate itself and in doing so, it needs to switch the emergency procedures, So more heat waves and droughts and floods and hurricanes.

But, this nation is unique. Not only does few care about climate change or think that it is the west's problem, many take pride on not recognizing the growing threat to this so called modern way of life. 

Humanity have acted as the proverbial ostrich and today, 29th of April, 2022, a year after the now forgotten armageddon of the second covid wave, people finally stand together and exclaim, Climate change is home. 

Just so, if the gods are watching, this weather event will create records on a regular basis. People will die of tiredness, dehydration will suck at the their soul. Heat waves will bring India to the brink.

Atleast today, newspapers and channels have started talking about it. Lets see how long before we forget this early summer of 2022.