Nangla's Delhi

The sun hasn't risen yet. There is a fog of smoke in Nangla. People who live along the Pushta have lit up their stoves. They sit by the stoves, sipping tea. These stoves are not inside the rooms, but outside, along the lanes. And the kitchen is where the stove is. When people pass by they don't touch anything, just look and go their way.

A woman is sitting by her stove. She places the vessel with the kneaded dough in the lane and starts to cook. The door behind her does not have a curtain. When the kitchen is on the road, then where is the need to conceal anything else. It is winter. She has filled a canister with water and placed it on the stove. The water heats on a low flame. A young boy, about five to seven years old, comes and sits by the canister and, from time to time, he stokes the fire by moving the firewood about. He dips his hand in the water repeatedly to see how warm it is. Then he calls out, “Mother, the water is warm now.” The woman appears from inside the house, empties the water from the canister into a vessel, refills the canister with more water, and carries the warm water into the house.

People pass by from the lane in front. But the lanes are not only for passing! Some people are sleeping in the lane, their bodies covered with a sheet which they have tightened by tucking under their head and pulling it from the other end with their toes. For some, morning is when they go to sleep. People skirt them, and go on their way.

bedo @ 01.01.2007 18:25 CEST
Dear client!

First of all we express to you the gratitude for the trust rendered to the company.