In the suburbs and smaller towns, the afternoon brings a quietude. This is when the "afternoon siesta" happens for the elders, and the sound of a distant television playing a soap opera hums through the halls.

Between 12–2 PM, Indian homes turn into food distribution centers. Someone is on a diet. Someone else needs ghar jaisa khana for their tiffin. And there’s always one family member who eats only dal-chawal with pickle.