But he still wasn’t feeling good – he did not know why. His friends used to tease him about Ahlin. He had enjoyed that. But now he could hear a mild echo of allegation in their teasing. He felt as if his fondness for Ahlin threw into question his loyalty towards India. He had become restless because of the tussle between his feelings. He needed to explain the situation to Ahlin. She would surely understand. She would not feel bad after that. It felt good to see her laughing. Ahlin was now close to him. Composing himself, he held the paper in front of her. He looked at her eyes with a loving smile.

‘I’ll come today,’ Ananta said in a whisper.

The cloud that had gathered was carried away by her smile. The sky became clear. At that moment, her friends were imploring Mei Hang secretly not to joke, lest they laugh again.

It was late evening by the time the meeting ended. In Pulok’s house, the neighbours had gathered to listen to the news. An agriculture bulletin was going on. Minaram Baruah was reading the newspaper.

‘After prolonged and bitter fighting in the town’s outskirts, the Chinese have occupied Tawang, the farthest road head in the north-western part of NEFA.

The Indian troops, who had fought gallantly for over twenty-four hours, withdrew on Wednesday evening in the face of a massive three-pronged attack by the Chinese. The withdrawal was according to plan and a large proportion of the local population, including the head priest and other priests of the local monastery, were safely evacuated. The monastery, it is officially stated today, is safe. It is not clear in which direction the Chinese troops are moving. But along with Tawang, Lumpu has also fallen into Chinese hands.’

The listeners became frustrated. They remained silent for a few moments then started commenting excitedly.

‘Why has the Indian army moved back? Do they think we are fools? If they couldn’t fight the Chinese, they should have had the guts to admit it. Why is the government trying to conceal the truth?’ someone said.

‘The government is talking big only to console us!’

‘Don’t say that! When thousands of Chinese soldiers come hurtling down the mountains in waves, how can our limited troops face them?’

‘They can’t come down like waves,’ someone commented.

‘How do you know that?’

‘I’ve served on the NEFA border as a sepoy. I know the actual situation. The hills are not in a line for waves to come down.’

‘People in my workplace were saying that it was difficult for our troops to fight, as most of them are unfamiliar with the hills and snow.’