India, Jan. 17 -- Once upon a time, there lived a lady in Old Delhi. She remains a mystery. Since this happened a long time ago, no one can tell anything about what kind of a person she was. Nevertheless, a barely known Walled City street is named after the said lady. Gali Mirza Suraiya Jaan is a dead-end street. A very small one at that.

The etymologists among us might be tempted to imagine Mirza Suraiya Jaan as a stylish elegant woman wearing lots of chooriyan, or bangles. That is because Gali Mirza Suraiya Jaan is one of the many sub-streets of a much larger street that goes by the name of Gali Choori Walan, the street of the bangles.

This late night, the lane is deserted; its entrance marked by a tall rusting metal gate. Every eveni...