If you want to understand Indian family lifestyle , learn to make Chai (tea). The evening tea is a sacred ritual. The milk boils, the ginger grates, and the cardamom pops. The family gathers on the balcony or the living room sofa.

The revolving around food are epic. An Indian mother speaks the language of love through spices. If you have a cold, you get kadha (a bitter herbal tea). If you are sad, you get gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding). Food is never just fuel.

As the sun rises, the silence breaks. The "water boy" (usually the youngest son) is sent to fetch the Ganga jal or simply to fill the overhead tanks. The mother begins the herculean task of the day: coordinating the kitchen. In a North Indian household, this means kneading dough for the rotis (unleavened bread); in the South, it means soaking rice for idlis or simmering sambar .

This is the storytelling hour. Grandfather tells tales of the 1971 war. Aunt shows off the new silk saree she bought on sale. The college student complains about the professor. Stories are exaggerated. Laughter is loud. Problems are shared, and solutions are forced upon unwilling adults. This is the emotional glue of the Indian family. While daily life has its patterns, the Indian family lifestyle explodes into technicolor during festivals.

This is the loudest, funniest part of the Indian family lifestyle . There is a shortage of one bathroom. There is a fight over the TV remote between father (who wants news) and the teenager (who wants music). The school bus horn blares outside.