I don’t really believe in locking things up. But I believe that a lock says a lot about personality. Haven’t found any takers for this theory but I am working on it. In Jaisalmer, I found several shops that had old-world locks on display. One shop had a huge variety. The keeper, spoiled by the firangis who were perhaps looking for the key to ‘traditional India’, wouldn’t sell me the one I wanted—an elaborate thing with two keys and mechanics out of the Arabian Nights—for less than Rs. 700. The next choice was the scorpion. After twenty minutes of discussing national politics and the tourist trade, it was mine for â?¹75
Lock stock
An old-world lock from Jaisalmer