RUSMINI was murmuring a prayer with eyes closed. She was gripping a prayer book she had been carrying everywhere for almost a year. She glanced at the book’s contents now and again. Its cover read, Bahai Prayer Guide. After reading the sentences in the book, the 42-year-old woman again closed her eyes. Her face looked calm. Then she opened her eyes, smiling at Tempo.

The fair-skinned lady claimed she had often calmed herself in this manner. W