India, April 18 -- In India, many woke up last week and headed to news portals and to Instagram to see if the US had begun to "obliterate" Iran.

There was a slim chance it had. Still, it was something of a relief to see the feed look as it usually does: clips from stand-up acts and podcasts, ads for niche products. There was also the ever-present news of violence and death: in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Manipur. Mixed in with influencer ragebait about the problems of being too pretty. News of ships still stranded. A coming Super El Nino. An upcoming blockbuster. "Buy my face cream".

As one gets on with the day, after a morning like this, a pit remains in the stomach. Life hums along as normal, but one can't escape the feeling that it should...