Her dead body rests on a four-poster single bed adorned with flowers.

We’ve just walked into a cremation ceremony.

I’ve been to funerals before. But what’s different in this funeral, other than it’s a cremation and not a burial, is the utter lack hope.

Most of the funerals I’ve been to were for believers who’ve walked with the Lord. They’re in heaven, worshipping with the Bridegroom.

Thousands come in pursuit of peace at the temple of Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, each day. It’s a sea of humanity. Pushing, shoving and chanting surround me.

Standing in the courtyard, I try to figure out how this mass confusion can lead to peace. I ask two women who stopped to chat about this. Kajori Sett* and her niece, Garji Sett*, graciously offer to walk me through their weekly pursuit of peace, giving me a hands-on introduction to Hinduism.

His bicycle lay on the ground, the wheels still spinning. He’d been delivering water pipes to homes around Kolkata. A man came up to the boy’s body and lifted his limp head. The boy’s eyes were wide open and he didn’t blink. The man placed his head back on the ground and walked away. The [...]