It was as if Asrar had woken up from a very long dream. He immediately opened the door of the taxi and stepped out. The streetlights were dim. Many poles had unlit bulbs. They entered a narrow lane. There were four–five paan shops at the turn of the lane. A few young men stood around these shops. Ten to twelve people were eating seekh kebabs around a makeshift shop. A man was selling tea from a kettle in his hand. Two boys standing near the tea seller were talking in loud voices and interrupting their talk with even louder laughs. A little further, film CDs were being sold at another makeshift shop. Asrar was shocked when he noticed that the covers of these CDs had sexually explicit photographs of Western men and women. Then he glanced at one cover, and it showed the private parts of a male and female. He was immediately reminded of his textbook detailing the ‘function of the vagina and penis’. But along with that memory, the words of Jamila Miss resonated that these organs were not just for reproduction and biological processes but also to express the passionate desire for love. They were the bridge between soul, body and emotions.

He asked Ali, ‘What place is this?’

‘Paradise, my brother, this is paradise. This area is called Kamathipura.’ They walked further ahead. Asrar saw that along the way, on both sides, stood adolescent and middle-aged women. Some wheatish, some darker and some fair. They had powdered their faces, wore lipstick and a few had flowers in their hair. Their features indicated that some belonged to the North-east, some were Nepalese and a few Maharashtrians. They went even further and turned right. Here there were two- and three-storey buildings with a few women standing near the staircases. On the opposite side was a restaurant where a bearded man, clad in a white kurta pyjama, sat at the counter. There was a framed photo of the Kaba on the wall. Some people were sitting and having tea in the restaurant. A Nepalese woman was drinking Pepsi at the counter. There was a neem tree nearby. A vulture sat on its branch. Two adolescent boys stood under it, gaping at the Nepalese girl. The bearded man at the counter was staring at the boys. Behind the girl was a blue drum at the back of which lay a nearly dead pigeon. The vulture had its eyes on it. It sometimes took a break to look at the Nepalese girl but would soon turn its neck to look at its prey. Ali bought two chocolates from a nearby paan shop and offered one to Asrar while putting one in his mouth. ‘You will start working from tomorrow, so have fun today.’