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Consciously aware that you share a city with animals A lonely rooster crows relentlessly at 4:30 in the morning. In terms of occupation of space, Indians show great tolerance towards animals. Dogs lie in the middle of the road asleep, cows take up almost all of a narrow lane, people go around them. Herds of water buffalo are driven through the gullies every afternoon for their bath in the ganga, blocking pedestrians, wheeled traffic. People, donkeys, goats, bullocks, ponys, camels, all share the streets with nonchalance. Cows come to my windows, looking in under dark thick eye lashes, dumb cow eyes peering, hoping for an orange peel to be thrown out. They glide by my windows, clopping hooves on the cobblestones, like a lady in high heels leisurely ambling. The sun reflecting from their light grey bodies momentarily lights my room. (May 20, 70)

Cows may be sacred but that does not prevent their being beaten or left to a thin existence on the streets hunting for garbage. The bullocks that pull tremendous weights on two wheeled wagons are sharply poked in the testicles to keep them moving. The small donkey is the most [ILLEGIBLE] being repeated beaten and forced to carry heavy loads. At night, hobbled in the street, his head in a corner, bellowing in subhuman cries.

Image: three boys squatting on the edge of a stone pier on a Ghat, toes curled over the brink. Their three tongues fully extended from mouths while they scrape them with the curved remains of the stick used to brush

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their teeth.

The boat propelled through night, four rowers and one steering with an oar from the stern, water sprung into air, on faces wet, cloth clinging to arms, 13 on board sped down stream against a strong wind as fast as four pairs of strong young arms can pull. Full moon, deserted Ghats. Unrolling in panoramic sprawl. Romantic concept of boat and speed and moon and scenic beauty, sacred river, young men urging each other on across with laughter overtaking other boats, shouts flung water. Ghat far ahead, bright with electricity, an event, a drama being performed. A destination who would row at gasping speed to nothing? A goal slim point in space. Conceptions, destinations. May 22 Fri.

oars missing the bloated body of a young child floating on its back, arms stiff, legs extended out like some over blown toy. * see page 85

My tutor requests me to get a "History of English Literature" book for him while I am in Delhi. The reason he wants this particular book is that it is the form of question and answers, similar to what will be used on the exam. Everything is geared to only what is needed, to explore English literature for the love of it is unknown, it only a means to getting a degree. My tutor is a sincere and honest person. But he cannot afford the luxury