“The December sun hit him as he walked out of the building — a slap of dry warmth after the hall's damp cool, the light so bright it narrowed his pupils to pinpoints. Pune in December — warm during the day, cool enough at night to pretend it was winter. The campus was emptying. Auto-rickshaws honked at the gate. A chai vendor was doing brisk business, surrounded by students who had just finished exams and needed caffeine the way soldiers need debriefing.”