He only said he had swept, but there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. In our villages, no matter how many times you sweep in a day, there’s always enough dust to go around. No one knows where it all comes from. After about ten more minutes, without us saying a word, the lady brought us some snacks and tea, serving us with a smile. Once we finished that ritual, we changed into our street clothes and stepped outside. As we were leaving, he carefully closed the doors behind us.

Once we were out on the street, I asked Raju quietly, “Aren’t you going to lock the door?”

“Oh, it’s not necessary. Here, if you lock the door, people take it the wrong way. They think you don’t trust the people in the house, or that you’re insulting them. So, there’s no need to lock up. If you must lock something, it’s usually just the front door, not the rooms inside.”

Then we set out in search of my own lodgings. Every house with a “To Let” sign, upon seeing us, would say, “Sorry, there’s nothing vacant! Very sorry, I regret it.” No matter which house we went to, it was always the women who opened the door, greeted us, and answered our questions. I supposed the men must have gone out somewhere. In some places, the rooms were so tiny and cramped that I didn’t like them. In others, both the house and the housewife were so disagreeable that I had no mind to stay there. In one or two places, though everything seemed fine, Raju said the rent was far too high.

So, we wandered about like this until one o’clock, our legs growing heavy as lead, and by lunchtime, we could barely drag ourselves back to the house. I began to lose hope that I’d ever find a room. Poor Raju noticed my discouragement and said, “Don’t worry, don’t rush. If you don’t find something today, you’ll find it tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. You can stay with me for a week if you need to. I only worry that you might be inconvenienced.”

I replied, “I’m not troubled at all. The only thing missing is an extra bed for you,” said Raju.

“That’s no problem at all. Come on, let’s go.”

“I feel bad that I am causing you so much trouble,” I said.

After reaching home, we finished our meals and rested for a while.

After wandering around like this for two or three days, I finally managed to find a room—quite a good one at that. Attached to the sitting room was a small bedroom. In it, there was a large bed with two mattresses, two or three rugs, blankets, and two towels for washing up—everything was right there. In the sitting room, there was a sofa, two cushioned chairs, a dining table with two or three chairs beside it, and a small cupboard-like thing to keep books and such. There was even a fireplace built into one wall to keep the place warm. Everything looked so elegant. I was amazed to see that things like these mattresses, sofas, and chairs—which even the wealthy in our country rarely possess—could be found in every ordinary person’s home here.

The landlady had two daughters, both a little older. With Raju’s help, I immediately brought my belongings and performed my “new house entry”! Even though it had only been a week since I arrived in this country, I noticed that I was already changing in some ways. I completely forgot to check whether the time was auspicious for entering the new house. Even when I remembered later, whom could I ask here? Who would tell me? If I asked anyone, they would just laugh. Besides, it doesn’t seem like they have almanacs or anything of the sort here, so one must simply adjust to everything, just like everyone else. If my uncle found out about this, what a fuss he would have made! There’s no use living in a country and not following its customs as much as necessary, I thought, and laughed at myself.

Raju advised me not to unpack my mosquito net, saying I wouldn’t need it as long as I stayed in this country. The poor fellow even took me to the market himself and bought two bed sheets, slippers, and a dressing gown for me. “Since you have to wear a dressing gown on top anyway, can’t I just wear my usual dhoti underneath?” I asked. “Let it be! Why bother with all that? There’s no way to wash and dry your dhoti every day here, is there? If you give it to the laundry, who knows what will happen to it, or how it’ll turn out? Even the laundryman will be bewildered, not knowing what to do with it!”

Barrister Parvateesam

...will fall. So, if you stick to this way of life here, you’ll be just fine,” said Raju.

From that day, a new chapter of my domestic life began. I told the lady of the house that I was a vegetarian, and so, for my meals, I would need rice, dal, a little tamarind, chilies, and so on. Raju and I together made a list of all the necessary items and handed it to her. She turned pale after seeing the list. With a hint of doubt, she asked, “What am I supposed to do with all these?”

“If you bring them, our friend here will explain everything. He’ll even show you how it’s done. You must watch our cooking sometime, and perhaps even taste it,” Raju said with a laugh.

The lady left, and Raju stood up as well. “Well, I’ll be off now. If you need anything, just ask me. I’ll tell you what to do. Good luck to you!” he said, shaking my hand, and departed.

The lady of the house brought all the groceries and asked, “Now, tell me what to do with these.”