India, June 19 -- The street in central Delhi is lined on both sides by shops stocked with spare automobile parts. It is a landscape of metal. Battery rickshaws and motorcycles pass through. Summer's rude sunlight strikes steel surfaces and bounces towards the eye.

Now, a cart appears bearing something purple.

Yes, it is once again the season of kabhi-khatta-kabhi-meetha jamuns.

In another part of the city, a cart piled high with purple jamuns stands before a row of autos. Tiny droplets cling to the berries. Whether they are sweating in the June heat or simply wearing a fresh coat of water hardly matters. They look inviting. The vendor admits he keeps them that way by sprinkling them with water from a pitchkari. It makes them look fres...