The air hung heavy with the unspoken emotions that had passed between them. Tripti, her eyes downcast, felt a blush creep up her neck. She wanted to say something, to thank him again, but the words seemed to catch in her throat.

Jeevan, his heart pounding, found himself mesmerized by her shyness and her sharp intellect. He had been particularly impressed by her eloquence and the clarity of her arguments. He wanted to know more about her, to learn her name, but a wave of self-consciousness washed over him. In the Rajasthan of the 90s, asking a young woman for her name, especially in a public setting, was considered forward, even intrusive.