At the entrance to a place of worship, we often leave our footwear behind. It is a small gesture with a large meaning: We are entering somewhere that asks us to behave differently. Perhaps the harder question is what else we should leave at the door.

Our impatience? Our appetite for attention? Our habit of turning every experience into something to display?

In India, the sacred is woven into everyday life. A roadside shrine interrupts a pavement; a lamp burns in a household corner; a temple bell, church choir, or call to prayer marks the passing day. Faith inhabits our streets as well as our sanctuaries. Yet familiarity can make us careless about what these places are for.

Consider an ordinary scene: Someone stands absorbed in prayer while a visitor nearby arranges a photograph. Neither need be acting maliciously. One seeks an encounter; the other wants a memory.…