India, May 9 -- I have barely slept in the last 48 hours. There is a semi-war going on, escalating every passing day. But honestly, I am not scared or anxious. Why am I not scared yet? Maybe, it's either India's multi-layered air defence system or my usual middle-class irrational optimism. Kuch nahi hoga (Everything will be alright).

I am sleep-deprived. Following conflict from far, but not far enough, is a new experience for me. During the Kargil war in 1999, the internet and I were both young - not many memory bookmarks, nothing to scroll. But, war in current times is a unique cocktail of humour and tragedy. This is the first time we have missiles and memes together. Taking turns to reach us from across the border.

Following such a wa...