The honeymoon, at first, was magical. Akash and Parvani Kapadi drove up pine-covered forests to a hill town in northern India with a view of the snow-capped Himalayas. In their hotel room, the gentle pitter-patter of monsoon rains on the roof set the stage for a week of romance — away from the heat and grime of the city.
But the drizzle turned into a downpour and did not let up for days. It brought landslides that severed connections to the outside world. Mobile phones were useless. Food and drinking water were soon scarce.