New Delhi, May 17 -- The oak forest stretches in front of us, the path between the trees rising and falling like the back of a camel.

Friday, 5am, Delhi: The city had been lashed by a furious storm. Rainwater has fallen like bullets, pooling on the streets. Trees have crashed to the earth, never to live again. Cars have stalled, like they are holding their breath.

In the mountains too, unexpected May showers have rushed down the slope. As we enter the forest in the last of the afternoon, the sun is beginning to break out through the trees, its golden shafts sharp and stinging. It has rained for a few hours and the birds are hungry. They emerge from the leaves, moving across the trees with the energy of ants on their hill, irrepressible ...