India, Oct. 25 -- Dear Reader,

At this time two years ago, I was reading books on Dussehra like The Three Hundred Ramayanas by A. K. Ramanujan and The Liberation of Sita by Volga.

This year, there are no Dussehra books, no trips down to the Kullu Dussehra mela to watch the ceremonial chariot procession. Instead, I stay up in the mountains at our new house, with Ajay-ji the plumber, figuring out where and why pipes are leaking, and with Sunil-ji the stone mason. Everyone here is 'ji', a habit I've quickly picked up from the architect, who addresses every workman as 'mistriji'. And really, each one is a master craftsman, never mind if their schedules don't always follow Western timetables.

Finally, the work is (mostly) done. It's also Th...