Laxman (6) and his group of school friends, are a part of the sea of children pouring out of the primary school gate in the residential Kidwai Nagar area of South Delhi.

It’s noon and the group is walking back home, laughing and jostling, in their bright blue school uniforms, their cotton bags with books slung across their bodies. The walk back from school is the best part of their day, they say, as are the double-fried potatoes — covered in bright red food colouring, sprinkled with sugar — bought from a roadside food cart. This is lunch for several children from the school as they flock to the cart for a plate.