‘Toilet,’ Mumbles said gruffly, drawing down the corners of his mouth.

Govinda naturally knew what a toilet was. He also knew that life in the lane could be hazardous. Graffiti and poster-strewn walls were all around them. But at the same time, in one shop, a man appraised a bolt of cloth. He held the fabric to his chin and measured it down the length of his arm. On the opposite side, three tall mannequins stylishly dressed in sarees appeared to be observing him.

As they strolled, Govinda saw a group of weeping people moving down the street while carrying a corpse with a sickening grin on it.

Also passing by was a naked holy man, a Jain, who had renounced everything: his children, wife and even clothes. The Jain’s hair was dark and his eyes were clear and penetrating. His bare feet were callused and cracked. His body was hairless except for the parts below his belly button. His penis was showing to the world. Its resemblance to a snail made Govinda uncomfortable.

The Jain was muttering: ‘When you swim remove all your clothes. Seek liberation from earthly existence. To swim across the ocean of samsara you must remove all the clothes of your attachments.’

Govinda had seen men like this but he was still taken aback because he had never been so close to one. Jains usually looked mad. Some kept mumbling what could have been mantras, but this man spoke clearly.

‘He is talking about samsara,’ said Govinda to Mumbles but the cook was not listening to him.

Mumbles stroked his beard, pressed his fingers against his full lips, stared into the distance and appeared unmoved and unconcerned with mundane matters. Govinda felt timid and held the hand of the cook, who seemed to be thinking about other things, as he drew a deep breath.

‘What was that man talking about?’ he asked Mumbles. This time Govinda made sure he was heard.

‘That man believes we are all caught in the trap of being born over and over again.’

‘Oh, you mean reincarnation,’ said the boy. ‘I know all about that. I know that in your religion the soul can undergo millions of transformations through various forms of life before becoming human. These life forms could be a rock, a vegetable, or an animal. There is no difference between these types of existence. However, the human has a privileged position compared to other life forms. In the Sikh view of karma, human life is seen as being most precious, and animal, vegetable, and mineral are viewed as being below human life.’

‘You, my beta, are becoming a seer,’ Mumbles said smiling. ‘But life is more complicated than that.’

‘Life in an unhappy kitchen is not a comfortable thing,’ said Govinda. He noticed that Mumbles was no longer carrying the letter written by the scribe. He looked back and saw the soiled paper lying in the dirt.