India, April 7 -- The lane is full of absences. Even its name is absent-it has none. It begins with the shrine of a Sufi mystic who lost his life to an emperor's wrath. The small shrine of Hazrat Sarmad Shahid in Old Delhi is painted red, the traditional color of his martyrdom. Sarmad lived unconventionally, known as the naked fakir. His life, or perhaps his defiance, lingers on in the street.

A few steps away stood the makeshift home of an elderly transgender person who identified herself as a "kinnar." Her name was Munna. She lived with a group of younger transgender people who called her their guru. One of her "chela"was the friendly Shigori, older than most of the others.

The shed where they lived had no walls, no doors. Yet within ...