‘I won’t be able to play this time,’ Robin said suddenly.

‘But why?’ they all chimed in.

‘I won’t get a long leave. There is a lot of tension at the NEFA border.’

‘What kind of tension?’

‘For a long time there has been a border dispute between us and the Chinese. The problem seems to have grown more complicated. No one knows what might happen next.’

Everyone fell silent. They were not worried about the border problem. Their only concern was Robin’s absence in the coming football matches. They were very disappointed.

‘Won’t you be able to come even for Pulok’s wedding?’ Rameswar asked, breaking the silence.

‘Has his wedding been finalized?’ Robin smiled.

‘He has told Mei Lin that if his father doesn’t agree to their marriage, he will marry her the Chinese way and take her away to his quarters in the garden,’ Rameswar said.

‘Let’s think of a Chinese name for him,’ Robin said.

‘Let Mei Lin agree first. I know her. There is very little chance of their getting married soon,’ Akong commented.

‘Everyone can’t elope with a girl from the market, as you did!’ Tung Chin teased.

‘You are no better, Ramakanta! Do you think we have forgotten the way you brought Xonpahi?’

They always teased Tung Chin by addressing him as Ramakanta. Ramakanta was Tung Chin’s formal name. Lee Chang’s formal name was Haranath. The headmaster of the lower primary school, finding it difficult to write the Chinese name of the little boy, changed it to Ramakanta with the title ‘China’. Remembering that incident, his friends never tired of teasing him.

‘Tung Chin!’ the headmaster pronounced. ‘What kind of name is that? Do you go around making a bell sound – toong, toong?’

The little boy stood still in utter shame and anger, while his friends were almost in tears, trying to control their laughter.

Next was Lee Chang’s turn.

‘Lee Chang!’ the headmaster called out. ‘From which chang, which raised platform, have you jumped down? One goes crazy hearing the names of the Chinese progeny! How difficult to pronounce! There were some more before. Thank God they have left school. What names!’

They listened to the headmaster with their heads lowered. It was almost impossible to look the fearsome man in the eye.

‘As of today, your name is Haranath. Haranath China. Do you understand? Forget that your name was Lee Chang.’

That was a very sad day for Tung Chin and Lee Chang. As they walked back from school, the boys teased them, calling them by their new names. From then on, whenever their friends wanted to provoke them, they addressed them by these names.

The two boys pleaded with their parents to meet the headmaster to correct their names in the school register. But their parents didn’t agree. To challenge the decision of the headmaster, whom they held in high regard, was beyond imagination.

‘It has been good in a way. At least one child will have an Assamese name. Somewhere at least my identity will remain,’ Tung Chin’s mother Pramila Gogoi said, laughing, when she first heard the new name.