In most Indian households, the day begins before the sun is fully up. Whether it’s a high-rise in Mumbai or a courtyard house in Kerala, the first sound is often the whistle of a pressure cooker or the clinking of steel tea tumblers.

The return home is a wave of activity. Snacks (often bhajiyas or fruit) with evening tea, children doing homework at the dining table, and elders watching the news or soap operas. This is also the time for addas —casual chats on the balcony or in the building compound.