Afternoon: ERIN’S OJA BORIBA

Motcha came on his bicycle. Erin hopped on, shopping bag in hand. In it were a bunch of bananas, incense, a crisp hundred-rupee note, and a scarf she brought from New York. She went off for her initiation ceremony with Oja Debabrata, her martial-arts teacher. Pabung Khelchandra will be waiting there. These martial-arts folks are disciplined and well on time, unlike the rest of the country. Pabung has only 15 minutes as he will be a chief guest at the handover of Kangla Fort at 3.

I send Teja to cover.