Taxi Dreams

This is Siva.
He's a 28 year-old taxi driver in Auroville, India.

 He recently returned from a pilgrimage to a temple in the Indian state of Kerala, where he spent 2 weeks meditating and praying to one of his gods.
He makes gestures and says a prayer each time we pass a temple on the road. 

Siva has a wife.  They were recently married in an arrangement made between their families.  They have known each other virtually all their lives, as they come from the same village.  She is 23 years old and has an older sister.

The sister is married to a man who is an alcoholic.

2 weeks ago, after one of his drinking binges, she poured kerosene all over her body and lit herself on fire.

She was taken to the hospital in the city of Chennai.  She died 3 days later.

Siva said a diary found by her family revealed the pain she had been going through during her marriage. 

 She is survived by 3 children.  The oldest is 10 years old. 

Her husband has returned back to his native village, and Siva has vowed to help care for the children along with his mother and father-in law.

Siva has saved up enough money to buy his own taxi, and hopes one day to expand his business with a second vehicle.  He says he will hold off on having children with his wife because they already have 3 to care for.