Bama stopped at the market place because she was surprised and excited to watch all the fun and games that were going on, different exhibitions, entertaining novelties and oddities in the streets, the shops and the bazaar. She took thirty minutes walking home from her school when she could have covered the distance in just ten minutes. The performance by the monkey and the snake charmer; the cyclist who had not got off his bike for three days, and who kept pedalling as hard as he could from break day; the rupee notes that were pinned on to his shirt to spur him on; the spinning wheels; the Maariyaata temple, the huge bell hanging there; the Pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple; the dried fish stall by the statue of Gandhi; the sweet stall, the stall selling fried snacks, and all the other shops next to each other; the changing colour of street lights from blue to violet, clay beads, instruments for cleaning ears-all these things attracted her and kept her standing still for long.