Twenty-five bicycles are parked outside Shikshantar, bedecked with ribbons and balloons, papier-mâché masks and puppetry, hand-held drums and flutes and whistles. Twenty-five riders are bustling around, strapping sleeping bags to rear racks and affixing signs to the handlebars. They are preparing for a weeklong cycle yatra, a journey out of the city and into the arms of whomever they might meet along the way.

In 2008, Manish and Shilpa Jain of Shikshantar invited friends and colleagues to reflect on the meaning and significance of gift culture. The result was Reclaiming the Gift Culture, an anthology of 26 essays. The following is adapted from their introductory letter.