India, Feb. 9 -- People from across the world come to see this fourteenth-century reminder of the city's past. The tomb of Emperor Feroze Shah Tughlaq is among Delhi's great monuments.

For Shourya, the monument has never been a destination. It is in fact as much an article of his daily life as the wallpaper in his drawing room. By an accident of birth, he is among the city's most fortunate residents. 11 years ago, he was born into a family that has been living for generations in Delhi's tourist-heavy Hauz Khas Village, in a house that directly overlooks the monument. He shares the home with his grandparents, and "Mamma and Papa," plus a dog capable of instilling hair-raising fear in unsuspecting visitors.

"Every day I go to the gumbad t...