India, Oct. 27 -- I skipped four instalments of this column because I decided to take a short break - part birding trip, part R&R, but all safe, masked, and socially distanced. It involved driving through rural and semi-urban Uttar Pradesh, where no one appears to be wearing masks (and there is no social distancing), and Uttarakhand, where most people sport them, and there is some adherence to social distancing norms....