India, May 20 -- So intense is the heat that by 10 every morning, Banda shuts down. Lakhan Gupta, a jeweller in Attara town, leaves home at 6am to finish most of his work before the heat settles. By 9, he is back. By 10, the road outside is empty. The shutters of his shop remain open, but customers rarely come before evening.

"Since April, I have sold almost nothing," Gupta says. "After 10am, Banda becomes deserted. At first, you see one or two people outside. Then, as the day rises, there is only silence."

On April 27 this year, Banda recorded 47.6degC, the highest temperature anywhere in India that day and its highest since 1951, surpassing its previous April peak of 47.4degC reached on April 30, 2022, and April 25, 2026. On Tuesday, ...