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.

Although hardly used, the names stuck. Their friends, however, called them by their original Chinese names. Lee Chang changed his name back to Lee Chang through an affidavit. Tung Chin did not.

It was after a long time that they were teasing Tung Chin again. Everyone burst out laughing. Akong’s three chubby little sons peeped shyly from behind.

‘Your boys have perfect Chinese complexion. But no one will believe you are Chinese. What a complexion!’ Rameshwar commented, patting the dark-complexioned Akong on his back, as they all went inside laughing.

The entire family sat around a table. There was Akong’s father and his two brothers. The three little boys also joined them shyly. Akong’s mother was arranging tea and snacks on the table. She was dark-complexioned with curly hair tied up in a high bun. Wearing a red-bordered white sari, she stood near her short and fair husband. It was difficult to ignore the contrast in their looks. ‘You all have come after a long time,’ said Akong’s mother.

‘We hardly ever get time these days,’ Pulok said.

‘Have dinner before you go.’

‘Not today. We are going to have a discussion about the football game at the club,’ Narayan said.

‘But there is a meeting at the club,’ one of Akong’s brothers said.

‘We will have our discussion after the meeting.’

‘The person who has come from Calcutta is not reliable. I know him. His name is Liang Ching Wan. He has been here a couple of times before as well. He was persuading us to get Red China passports. He says it will be useful for us.’

‘Don’t you have Indian citizenship?’ Pulok asked with surprise.

‘No, we don’t.’

‘Why? You came here so many years ago, didn’t you?’

‘Yes. It was during British times, way before the Second World War.’

‘Even then you don’t have Indian citizenship? Why?’

‘I don’t know.’