KOCHI: Horn Ok Please’ – it’s a phrase we have grown up seeing on the rear of vehicles, signalling drivers to honk while overtaking. This signal has clearly become second nature for most on the roads.

Sometimes, words are not all they are cracked up to be. Silence can yield more power than words. Inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci said, “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” ...

No sirens or car alarms. No planes. No construction work. No delivery lorries. Just pure, blissful silence. My ears could barely believe what they weren’t hearing when I opened the door ...