Thundershowers came pouring down on the stage set for launching the Earth Hour in Delhi, even as the Chairperson of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Dr. R.K. Pachauri and CEO & Secretary General of WWF-India stood under umbrellas looking up at the sky. It was as if the Earth had a prior understanding with the atmosphere. It was as if the Earth was trying to say something – a message it so beautifully got across. It was as if the Earth had come to the Earth Hour party.

“Let this be a message for all of us that Nature is watching” alerted Dr. Pachauri while still standing under the umbrella held high by Ravi Singh even as intense short-lived gusts of wind amidst heavy rains kept bringing the stage down. Them and a few Earh Hour volunteers and enthusiastic citizens braved the rain to keep the torch lighted even if it meant getting absolutely drenched.

And as if the Earth’s message was to “Stop talking and Start Acting”, all speeches had to be cut short to a few sentences and all talks were to be stopped as everyone had to ‘run for cover’. The metaphorical event then went on with the dance performances that were planned, as all lights were turned off for the hour and everyone struggled to keep their torch burning.