INDIA, Dec. 13 -- UNDER the fading light of a Delhi evening, the winding alleyways of Lajpat Nagar pulse with life as the scent of naan baking in an ancient tandoor drifts through the air.

Forty-two-year-old Mina Mazari waits patiently for freshly baked bread. At the bakery, three young men work steadily – mixing dough, flattening it, and placing it into the oven. Once baked, the naan is arranged on a small table, ready for customers as the evening bustle continues around them.

Lajpat Nagar is one of many areas across New Delhi sheltering thousands of Afghan refugees who have fled their uncertain homeland for safety and opportunity thousands of miles away.

”I came here nine years ago with my husband and three children. My h...