convention of swinging the head from side to side to signify
concurrence. He had meant to say no, which in Indian body language was
an almost un-reproducible twist of the neck. He swallowed the lamb and
reached for another shank.
"No. I meant no. Is that a kind of dancer?"
"It means 'a servant of the gods.' In South India there's a special
caste of women who serve in the great stone temples, who are married to
the god of the temple. When we are very young we have a marriage
ceremony, like any wedding. Except we are a bride of the temple. And
then we serve its god with music and with our dance."