| Malls are buzzing, restaurants are full and there are long queues for hair salons. Across India fears around Covid-19 have ebbed and many aspects of life have returned to a near picture of pre-pandemic normality at a time when many countries attempt to smother fresh waves with hard lockdowns. Since hitting a peak of close to 100,000 daily coronavirus infections in September, new cases have dropped nearly 90%. Deaths have fallen by a similar rate, to fewer than 100 a day. Some of the nation's largest companies are reporting bumper earnings growth in the latest quarter on the back of this pent-up demand—from billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries to consumer goods titan Unilever—a sign that the country is moving on after registering the world's second-largest coronavirus outbreak. The rebound isn't just confined to retail spending. Motor sales have ramped up, while traffic at India's airports and roads has visibly increased. Nomura's India Business Resumption Index shows activity coming within about 2 percentage points of its pre-pandemic level.  A family wearing masks waits at a bus stop in New Delhi. Photographer: PRAKASH SINGH/AFP Still, experts are puzzled by the steady decline of reported cases in India. Some have speculated the virus has already hit a wall of herd immunity in the densely populated country where testing rates have been low. A study conducted in the southern state of Karnataka signaled that just under half its more than 60 million residents had been infected by August, a number more than 90 times higher than the official figure at the time. Others have pointed to India's youthful population and yet untested ideas that widespread exposure to a high number of tropical diseases confers natural resilience to Covid. It's too early to say for certain what has lead to the fall in infections, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be hoping that a vaccination drive that began in January will allow a further easing of inhibitions. Government economists are predicting 11% economic growth for the financial year that begins April 1, enough to reverse the 7.7% contraction in 2020.—Chris Kay | 
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