The Crucible of May: Surat Bakes Under a Blazing Sky on the 15th
Surat, the diamond city and a vibrant textile hub nestled on the banks of the Tapti River in Gujarat, India, began its day on Thursday, May 15th, 2025, not with the gentle dew of spring, but with the searing breath of the pre-monsoon summer. This was a day defined by intense heat, an atmosphere thick with latent energy, and the palpable sense of anticipation for the life-giving rains that would eventually break the heat's relentless grip. The weather forecast for today was a stark reminder of the season – a prediction of scorching temperatures , oppressive humidity , and only a minimal chance of the precipitation that the parched land and its inhabitants yearned for. As the first hint of daylight smudged the eastern horizon, around 5:59 AM, the city was already stirring, but the air itself was heavy and warm. The overnight low temperature , which would have hovered around a still-hot 28 degrees Celsius, provided little in the way of true coolness. In many parts of the world, thi...