Plates of warm chironji barfi slide across sweet-shop counters around Teen Batti in Katra Bazar, and the people sharing a bench there are usually trading news about the town. Students from the university on the hill, shopkeepers on a break and families back from a walk all end up at the same steel tables.
Beyond the bazaar, Lakha Banjara Lake fills the middle of the city, with steps leading down to the water at Chakraghat and old temples along its banks. Summers are hot, the monsoon pours from June to September, and winter mornings turn cool and clear. A Local Friend can bring you into their own lane by the lake, where neighbors hear about you before dinner.
