India, March 3 -- The sky was so smothered in fog that visibility was near zero at a little beyond 5 am. As we hustled beyond the first set of barricades, I heard a family chatter excitedly in Marathi about their "pilgrimage". A few dozen steps later, a lady was screaming at her partner in Bangla for carrying such a large bag to the premises. About a minute later, there was a loud announcement in Telugu asking Sharmila to quickly reach the police assistance booth where her family members are waiting eagerly. Then there was a large group of family and friends from Gujarat chanting and alternatively talking about the fog.

The author understands more than half a dozen spoke Indian languages and could hear devotees talk in all of them and ma...