Indian summer is never easy, is it?

But this year definitely tops all the Code Orange records. And if you haven’t been bombarded with the weather conditions across the country, here is a ready reckoner.

Delhi and Lucknow touched 47 degrees Celsius, while Mumbai was at a never-before 42. Why, even the so far untouched Bengaluru touched the 40 degree mark this year. Telengana recorded highest deaths from heat and even the hill stations that people usually rush to, to get a respite from the heat, recorded temperatures of up to 35 degrees. And it’s not even mid-June!

Not to forget the forest fires in Uttrakhand, of course, which caught not just national but international media attention as well. Forest fires this season, which began in February, have so far destroyed nearly 4,048 hectares of land in Uttarakhand in 1,857 incidents. As the fires spread, smog enveloped the hill-state and smoke rose beyond forest ranges in all 13 districts of the state. Soon the lush green hills were burning infernos that licked thousands of trees, flaura and fauna.

As if that wasn’t news grim enough, we have been hearing and reading about the water crisis in most places, especially western India. Whoever thought we would have trains carrying water to parched areas and fight over water becoming a reality?

To make matters worse, Chennai fears another round of floods. The writing on the wall — Mother Nature is crying out for help – not for herself, but so that we save ourselves. And since it’s easier to get people’s attention around events and now that we are all celebrating or at least hearing about World Environment Day that falls on June 5, it’s time we rethink the way we treat our planet. Every little step counts.

Let’s also talk of something that kept us all away from all the depressing heat news — cricket. A reason why we have Anurag Thakur on the cover. A sure treat for our readers. Also, don’t miss the ever charming Shashi Kapoor in our Looking Back section.

On a parting note, let’s not waste water. Every drop counts.