New Delhi, Dec. 4 -- The fire that engulfed as many as eight tower blocks at a housing estate in Hong Kong last week was beyond the imagination even of Hollywood's screenwriters.

The towers' netting, which covers Hong Kong buildings like giant mosquito nets when refurbishment is underway, turned out to be made of highly flammable synthetic material. Each of the blocks enveloped by the blaze was 30 storeys high. Even though 2,000 firemen had rushed to the site, it took from Wednesday evening to Friday, 28 November, to douse the fire. At least 151 people died; the city declared three days of mourning earlier this week.

I happened to be in Hong Kong last week on a work trip. Yet, I was unprepared for the flurry of texts I received from fri...