Mental Excursions

  Upside of global warming Top photos: Reuters Bottom photos: Khaleej Times Last week nature threw up a mind-boggling shock. There were heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates, which their MET department said were the heaviest in the last 75 years. News reports said this caused floods in Dubai, Sharjah and some other areas of the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah. Sadly, five persons also died in incidents related to floods.   The heavy rain and floods also brought with them the resultant problems, disruption in normal life, people stuck inside flooded buildings, sewage contaminated water, disturbance in road and air transport, cancelled flights and stranding of passengers etc., a scenario, we, in most parts of India, are very well familiar with. Although most experts (and non-experts) blamed cloud seeding by the authorities for this, Richard Washington, Professor, Climate Science, University of Oxford, has other views. Parts of the Arabian Peninsula received 18 months of rainfall in

Back with a firmer resolve I am back in my chair looking out of the window, gathering directionless thoughts, and trying to put them in some order to share with you. Of course, as my readers, you have the right to ask the reason for my long absence. I was travelling and when back, had viral fever. We know how these seasonal ailments can drain one physically and mentally. Honestly, I recovered after a couple of weeks, but  I did not write. Within a few days I realized that I was missing addressing you. And that it was sheer laziness which was preventing me from writing. Not only writing, my needlework, which inspires me equally and brings me joy, also suffered. Laziness is a sin, procrastination is a bad habit blah, blah, blah, I know, and thousands of words to enumerate tips for fighting this can be found between the pages of magazines and books or in the ether world. Yet all of us sometimes fall prey to this. So, please excuse this little lapse and let me pick up the threads aga