India, Aug. 18 -- 20 years ago, Nandini started to learn devotional bhajans from a disciple of the celebrated bhajan singer Anup Jalota. At the time, she was an engineering student. Today, she is a manager in a multinational. Sometimes, during the evenings in her Noida apartment, Nandini leans by the wide bay window, and sings a Ram Bhajan that she had learned all those years ago.

The window itself showcases the spirituality of a profoundly different sort, revealing a contemporary sense of the city. It overlooks a gigantic shopping mall, and also the gigantic building-in-progress of an upcoming private hospital. The foreground of this entire setting is outlined by the overland tracks of the Delhi Metro. Whatever, Nandini also writes poet...