If the months of the year were days of the week, October would be Friday — slightly relaxed, a little indulgent,and smelling of holidays in the vicinity. In North India, its evenings are usually punctuated by a nip in the air, the sun spilling colour over the horizon before being lost to haze, and the occasional sound of a Diwali bomb going off somewhere in the distance.

It was always like this — until the air quality index (AQI) was adopted. Now, the SI unit to measure October is AQI.

There was a time when October wasn’t a public health emergency. It was a mood — the only month in this tropical country you could truly appreciate. India is unique that way, a lot of anti-incumbency builds-up over monsoons due to crumbling infrastructure, pathetic roads, and soul-sapping traffic. And then along comes October, and people forget the pains they just suffered. October has been saving governments since independence.

October also announced itself through the conspicuous shortening of days. As kids, without access to public parks or playgrounds, we played cricket on an empty, disputed plot. An inheritance feud gifted a cricket ground to the neighbourhood. As........

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