Around 4:00 PM, the rhythm changes. An aunt arrives unannounced. In Western culture, this is a crisis. In Indian culture, it is Tuesday.

The school gate is the stock exchange of parenting. Mothers compare test scores, discuss tuition teachers, and judge each other’s parenting styles. "Your son got 98%? Oh, how clever. My daughter only got 95%, but she is very creative," says one mother, hiding her panic.