BOONE LIFE: Seamless integration

COLUMBIA — Every morning, after Ranadhir Mitra wakes up, he walks to the shrine in the corner of his bedroom. The shrine, a bookshelf with pictures of deities and Mitra’s and his wife’s parents, smells like jasmine after Mitra lights some incense. He also offers flowers and water before taking the incense to each room in his house, where he opens the curtains to welcome the morning light. Mitra, an associate professor in the department of pathology and anatomical sciences at MU’s School of Medicine, is a follower of Hinduism. Yet, when he sits at his desk at home, a row of 12 Christmas stockings, one for each child and grandchild, lines the fireplace next to him.