Sameer tied the shoe laces of his sneakers and ran down the steps. The park was relatively quiet. No children on the swings; it was a school day. A group of elderly men argued politics, sitting together on a cluster of wooden benches. Jogging on the walking track that weaved its way through the park, Sameer waved to the bald guy with the A.K. Hangal look he saw often. With the sun glinting on his pate today, he looked luminous, like a light bulb.

"Late today?" Hangal shouted ...