India, Aug. 26 -- This Tuesday morning, rain is lashing a Delhi terrace. Seen through a room's raindrop-speckled window, the terrace is drenched and deserted (see photo). This was what the room was meant for: a place to run to when the barsat arrived. A barsati. As the monsoon season reaches its final stage, let us invoke a dwelling that has almost disappeared. Taking its name from Urdu for rain, the barsati was a small room on a house terrace, intended as shelter during sudden rain. Later, these rooms began to be rented out, giving rise to Delhi's barsati civilisation. Barsati rents were cheap, and tenants were often young migrants with bohemian tendencies. Some barsati wale went on to become famous. Painter MF Husain and artist Zarina Has...