The Rajasthan sun was beating down like fire as our bus rumbled out of Delhi. Four days. Four long, dusty days. My parents, Urvashi Di, and I were heading to Jodhpur for my cousin’s daughter’s wedding. But the real reason I was rock-hard the entire journey? The fact that my 27-year-old big sister had begged me to book a sleeper bus instead of a train.

“Papa train mein seat nahi mil rahi,” I had lied smoothly when Dad asked. “Sleeper bus mein couple cabin hi hai. Morning tak pahunch jaayenge.”