Finally I was allowed to visit Roshani and Mehendra's small concrete home.
Roshani was from a part of the state where there were fewer professionals.
This version was
published in 2002 by a small Kolkata-based publishing house, Roshani Publishers.
I was to share my bed with Roshani- about three parts Georgie to one part Roshani.
I spent a lovely day touring Roshani's village and the surrounding ket, a smallholding of agricultural land.
Roshani and her family had never seen anything like it,
and our small group alternated between excitement and hilarity.
Roshani and her husband live in Shimla village in Rajasthan's Shekhawati district,
just over half way from Delhi to the Pakistan border.
When the standalone fan whirred to life Roshani and Mehendra settled down to play me some devotional temple
songs in the dappled shade.
We slept at around 1am, and a few hours later,
I awoke to the not unpleasant sensation of the minuscule Roshani walking across my back.
Refusing to acknowledge them, I
snuggled under my gradually soaking blanket until I was given a firm shake by Roshani who explained in her sweet
and somewhat amused voice that we all needed to move our beds into the stinky barn next door.