AHMED

I was returning to Kerala after attending a program at Annamalai University in 1990. My friend was with me. We reached Chidambaram Railway Station in the evening to board the train. When we entered the compartment, we saw a young man already occupying one of the seats. He was going to travel with us. We talked to him. He told us that he was on his way to Trivandrum to catch a flight to the Maldives. His name was Ahmed and he was working at a hotel in the Maldives.

A few minutes later, two middle aged women appeared along with a man. They sat next to us and were talking among themselves. The man then left the compartment. The train was about to start. Suddenly, the two women realized that their ticket was with the man and they started to panic. Ahmed asked them about the man’s compartment number and volunteered to locate him. Since the train was about to start, he had to hurry. He left us and within a few minutes was back with the man. The man gave the women their tickets through the window.

The train started and it was beginning to get dark. The women started talking to us. They were both doctors and were jointly running a clinic. They told us that it was very difficult to run their own clinic. Patients would come to them at odd hours and ask to be treated. They said that they would not like to see their children becoming doctors.

Later, the women started talking about their locality. They said it was not a good place anymore since many muslims have begun to settle in that area. On hearing this, I noticed that Ahmed was feeling embarrassed. The women did not know the name of the man who had just helped them.