Lily comes in every morning to clean my floors. She's a village woman of indeterminate age, but like all village women, she's cast in a different mold to the rest of us. For a variety of reasons, probably poor diet and general lack, they are a race of pygmies - tiny, about 4' and weightless, they bend in a number of directions - floors are swept with a long swishing handle less broom. Wielding this piece of home equipment requires a full bend from the waist best suited to stick figures, so Lily manages this with dexterity and ease. Floors are then washed, which requires equally unique gymnastics. Floors, like all floors in India, are made of the most beautiful marble squares, creating a brilliant, shining surface on which to walk. Shoes, of course, are never worn indoors. India is always full of surprises and the lavish use of marble is one of them. The other surprise is stainless steel. Everything is made of this material - dishes, bowls, mugs, cups - they shine from every corner, even in the villages.
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