Nagesh works around our property. He only speaks Telugu and he does not understand my basic Hindi.
He smiles a great deal, but not in pictures. In India, it is very common to see people in pictures that are not smiling. There is something more honest about that, I suppose, yet they look sad as a result, at least to American eyes.
We are not sure if he was an orphan, or how exactly he came to be here. He seems not to be with full cognition (if you follow me), and we're not sure that he ever received schooling of any sort.
One of the things he does around here is gathers flowers in the morning for Mrs. Goel. I think she may put them in a "varpu" (pictured below, something I took in Bangalore's Leela Hotel), or uses them in a Hindu ritual. Whatever the intent is, it is a nice thing to see someone diligently searching for the best petals every morning - it
is a calming thing to see.
