Friends

Another thing that we will miss are the people we’ve become friends with. They’ve been very kind to us and helped us get to know various aspects of the city. On the day Indivar took us to the flower market early in the morning, he also took us a Sikh temple, where we were really impressed by the numbers of people who came on a regular weekday morning and looked like they were on their way to work. Sikh temples are known for the large number of members who volunteer to do service at the temple on a regular basis. All of the shoe collectors (you have take off your shoes and wash your hands and feet) before entering the temple) and those who keep the steps clean are regular members of the temple. The young woman who did this on the day we visited was wearing pants and a shirt—surprising to us, since most traditional young women wear salwar kameez or saris. They are also committed to feeding whoever comes and expect nothing in return.

We’ve also spent more time with Shubra and Kunal. Here’s (finally) a picture of Shubra on a night when she invited us to her music school performance. She goes every Wednesday night and sings Tagore lyrics with a large group of other professional adults who also do this as a way to relax. All around the music hall—at the entrance and down the hallway were these intricate sand drawings. This one is of Tagore himself.