However, this mid-day peace is often shattered by the "Aunty Network." Kavita’s mother-in-law sits on the balcony, sipping chai with the neighbor, Mrs. Sharma. Their conversation is a data mining operation: "Did you see the Sethi’s daughter coming home at 10 PM? What will people say?" Privacy is an imported concept. In the Indian family lifestyle, what you do is never just your business; it is the family's brand.

Unlike the "religion of individualism" often found in the West, Indian homes are designed for interdependence. Multigenerational Living:

We laugh loud enough that the neighbors bang on the wall. We argue. We go to bed.