Sunil Seth and Ashok were bleeding. The headmaster’s nose looked swollen and bloody. The driver’s shirt was torn and he had lumps all over his face and body from the blows. A policeman asked them to empty their pockets. Another picked up one of their suitcases. He unzipped it and slowly handled every object. He inspected their certificates, clothes, photo albums. There was nothing of great value but the policeman inspected each item with care. Eventually he took Sunil Seth’s tie, Gitanjali’s small bottle of eau de cologne and gold jewellery. He walked away without looking back.

The air smelt of kerosene and disinfectant. Ashok sat bent over with his arms in his lap as though he needed to urinate. His eyes were swollen and bruised. A glass was missing from his spectacles. The inspector leafed through their passports as a clerk attacked the keyboard of an old typewriter. Flies buzzed around the clerk. Beside him was a ‘Betel Chewing Is Prohibited’ sign.

Two policemen pulled a boy, screaming and kicking and crying, into a cell. He might have been fifteen years old. It took them both to throw him in.

Govinda bit his nails and was close to soiling his pants. A generator roared. ‘Never mind that,’ he heard someone say. ‘We checked the stuff in his wallet. He’s a school principal.’ The policemen within earshot exchanged glances. Soon after they were taken to a comfortable room. Tea and cakes were pressed upon them. Sunil Seth looked bitterly disappointed. There was a period of oppressive silence. The inspector slowly came out with his misgivings.

‘What a bloody awful world we live in, eh, Mr Seth, or is it Singh?’ the inspector said. He looked hard at the headmaster. His eyes were deep and dark like tunnels. ‘Why are you leaving the country, eh?’ he asked.

‘With respect, inspector, my name is Seth and we are moving to Australia. We want to live a better life,’ he replied.

The inspector laughed. ‘What is wrong with all this, eh?’ He leaned his body forward, his eyes filling with a malign humour. ‘Mr Seth, you are a bloody fool. You should never have left your home today with your family.’

‘Inspector, we have a plane to catch,’ the headmaster said incredulously.

‘It is not really a very good moment, eh. Not very wise to go now,’ said the inspector.

‘Why are we being held here?’ demanded the headmaster.