NESTLING BESIDE THE castle walls of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh in India, there is an attractive outdoor cafe called Laboo’z. An old motorbike is attached to the castle wall facing the chairs and tables. Below it, there is a sign that reads: “Labooz’s Scooter”.

The cafe was established in 2002 by Richard Holkar, a scion of the Holkar family that ruled the Kingdom of Indore, whose capital used to be Maheshwar.

When Richard and his half sister were children, they used to be ferried around Maheshwar on the bike now adorning the cafe. The driver who took tem on the motorbike was tall (‘lambu’ in Hindustani). Over the years, he became known affectionately by the nickname ‘Labboo”. His motorbike, now attached to a wall, commemorates him.