Fire alarm?

An open fire, no matter how small, inside a jewelry shop should at least give someone pause. Not in India.

While purchasing a pair of earrings for my mom-in-law, I turned to notice a small fire burning under the showroom stairs. I was the only one who seemed remotely alarmed by our ability to make s'mores while perusing fine jewelry.

Having been here a few weeks, I have learned to go with the flow. So, rather than make a mountain out of a briskly burning molehill, I turned my attention to my purchase.

The clasp on one of the earrings needed adjustment. The resident goldsmith was summoned, retrieved the earrings and disappeared to make the repair. A few moments later he reappeared to say that the adjustment needed to be made offsite. I agreed to pick-up the earrings the next day.

As I left, I was startled to see the goldsmith comfortably squatting beneath the stairs. What I had thought was an errant flame was in fact a rudimentary forge. Of course. Silly me.