Youngsters like Babu and Anjali were no longer in the refugee camps. They had joined the Red Guards and left the farm. No one knew where they were, what they were doing, or when they would return. Liang Ching Wan had gone to Peking to join the foundation day meeting, and had returned only the previous day. He had brought news about Babu and the others. They had also gone to attend the meeting of the Red Guards there.

Slowly things were changing. After the start of the revolution, a feeling of fear had encircled the people. The main reason was the daily evening meeting held after work in the farm.

The manager of the farm and the local leaders were present at these meetings. Newspapers were read. They were apprised of government policies. They read quotations from Mao’s writing. The Cultural Revolution was discussed. The leadership of Chairman Mao was also discussed. People engaged in reactionary activities were denounced in the meeting and also punished. They found fault with minor things. Everyone was given a Red Book. In Communist China, the refugees had to be loyal to communism and the great Chairman Mao. Those who were not had to accept public denouncement and physical punishment.

They were kept under strict surveillance all the time. The Chinese government did not trust the refugees who had come from the reactionary environment of India.

The refugees lived in fear. They spoke with utmost care. Especially those who did not take PRC passports while they were in India and those who did not have any papers. The people most in danger were those of Indian origin and the Indians of Chinese origin. The people with PRC passports were relatively more confident. They were less dissatisfied than the others. They did not feel like outsiders, unlike the others. They had a good relationship with the local CPC. Among them, Liang Ching Wan’s position was the most powerful. He had supported the communist government even when he was in India and also worked actively here. The leaders of the central CPC also knew him. Because of his good personal record, he held a comfortable position at the farm too.

Having come back to their desired place and getting the proper recognition, the faces of those with Chinese passports reflected the brightness of satisfaction and pride amidst suffering. They were slowly getting involved in the party’s work. Everyone listened to them, especially Liang Ching Wan, and expected that they would provide them security as he had become politically powerful. But the local leaders hated and envied Liang Ching Wan and the others. There were a few who wanted to harm them.