Delhi has turned yellow. Green leaves are drying, and falling from trees, like dead soldiers. “Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, pestilence-stricken multitudes,” as Shelley described them in an “Ode to the West Wind.”

Neem and Ashok have contributed the maximum in shedding their cover. Falling leaves of Peepal trees cover large parts of roadsides quickly.

Branches of most trees today look like an old man’s dried bones. Denuded of their greenery, the trees are dead, as much as they are living. The rising temperature after an abrupt end of winter gave the city a short Spring.

As the winter onslaught is weakened, Vasant announced its festival time. The flowerbeds were smiling. One could visit a flower “show” in any garden; even road roundabouts drew eyes to their beauty.

But it was short-lived. As if, it was time for Spring-cleaning by Nature. None could predict the games climate change was playing. As you step out of your homes these days, streets and their pavements are covered with yellow leaves. Every car has its windshield storing several layers of lifeless leaves.

People are clearing their courtyards all the time. Gardeners have an unending job in parks and prominent avenues gathering the waste leaves and making mounds of them. If not cleared in time, the leaves start rotting, soaking water from any source close by.

The flower beds still smile, but it is a struggle to keep their clean look. They have to be cleared of the dry leaves every day.

It’s a constant shower of dry leaves one can see during walks. Dry leaves can hit you in the face suddenly if you pull your car windows down while driving. Summer is here. The air appeared fresh during winter but now spreads lethargy. What happened to Spring? Well, Delhi’ites are preparing for a long season of hot winds and scorching Sun.

The woolens are packed and forgotten. While the young generation prepares for and appears in annual examinations, the older worries whether it could afford a holiday in cool er locations. In place of dry fruits, fresh fruits are in greater demand. Green coconut sellers occupied vantage points on the streets all the year-round, but appear more visible now. For several weeks, the rainbird has been flying low early in the morning, giving its staccato cries.

Its appearance once meant some rain relief is on the way. Its zig-zag flight path, however, shows it is not sure which direction had a promise of rainfall. If there was a drizzle, it would only hasten to break more leaves from the trees. Summer is ruthless in Delhi and establishes its reign in no time.

It has to rule over a large part of the yearly calendar. People are jogging and going for morning walks an hour earlier in the morning. The weather pundits are talking of the impact of climate change and forecasting heat waves