India, May 26 -- Consider the scene. This tree in the heart of Delhi stands on the sidewalk of Kasturba Gandhi Marg, towards the turning to Connaught Lane. A woman and a man are sitting under it, as still as statues. Nothing remarkable, one might say. But in a furiously changing city, the extraordinariness of the scene lies in the fact that it has remained unchanged for years. The neem tree has, in fact, been here for many decades, according to a few people working in the vicinity. It stands amid a row of peepal trees. (Another majestic neem used to stand across the pave, but fell down some years ago.) The woman under the tree is fruit seller Phoolwati Devi, the area's living landmark for more than 40 years. She sits at this spot every day,...