Dehradun, Nov. 24 -- We, the Government

First: we're above the choking air of the plains. Stubble smoke, industrial pollution, and the dust of ego-massaging, destruction-construction, don't reach us. (The decision to build a bigger house, in these troubled times, is a wasteful and dangerous act of self worship?)

Second: the Winter Line testifies to our unique position. We are south-facing, with the High Himalayas towering behind us, and the Shiwalik-enclosed Doon Valley below. Sun-heated air from the Valley rises but, before it can flow away, heavier winter-cooled air from the northern heights rushes in, trapping it. The different densities of the hot and cold air cause a refraction of sunset light: the Winter Line. The pressure-cooker ...