The weeks leading up to Diwali involve scrubbing every corner of the house. It seems like a burden until the family sits down for the evening puja (prayer), surrounded by diyas (lamps). The exhaustion vanishes, replaced by a sense of renewal and collective achievement.
Meanwhile, seven-year-old Ananya is practicing the one skill every Indian child masters: negotiation. “Dadi (Grandma), just five more minutes of sleep?”