There was another blackout in Bikaner, Rajasthan. I took an autorickshaw through
the dark smoky town, punctuated by the flickering orange light of small trash
fires. We sped through narrow streets, avoiding collision with the black
shadows of shifting bodies. We arrived at a Jain temple. I was brought inside by the temple priest who led me up three stories by candlelight. The small mirrors covering the walls fractured the light into thousands of flickering stars. Looking out the window, I could feel the warm wind sweeping up from the dark silhouette of the city below. |