I remained standing. He too was still standing. I said, “Please, you be seated,” and pointed to a chair. But he alone continued to stand.

“It would be convenient for you if you stayed near the university, wouldn’t it? Here, if you get on this tram and get off at the street I mention, you’ll find yourself in a neighborhood full of boarding houses. On every street there, you’ll see boards and signs in the windows saying ‘Room to let.’ If you press one of the buttons by the door—either on the right or left, depending on where the sign is—they’ll open the door for you. If the sign is on the left side of the door, press the left button. If it’s on the right, press the right button. If it’s on the ground floor, press the lower button; if it’s on an upper floor, press the button for that floor. Then, in whichever street you prefer, at whichever rent suits you, you can choose a room as you like,” he explained.

He conveyed all this information with great patience, leisure, and humility. I thanked him and stepped outside. I noticed that after I left, he gathered up the fruit peels and leftovers from my snack, closed the door, and came out as well.

As I walked down the street, I noticed many people staring at me, and a couple of them even smiled. What do I care if they laugh? I thought, “Let them twist their mouths as they please,” and went to the tram stop after finding out where it was. When the tram with the number he mentioned arrived at the station, I boarded it and got down at the place he had told me.

There was a small park there. Many children, some alone and some with their mothers, were playing in it. Watching them filled me with affection; for a moment, I stood there, lost in their games. Without realizing it, a smile crept onto my face. Some of the children, seeing me, moved away to a distance. A couple of them, braver than the rest, came closer, their eyes wide with fear and wonder, and stood staring at me.

A little way behind me, a few children, after glancing at me, ran off to their mothers, hugged them tightly, and cried, “Mummy, mummy, there’s—”

Barrister Parvateesam

"Is black mummy (Is that a black man, mother)?" one of them said. Another asked, "Mother, will that black man carry away children?" Yet another piped up, "Mother, does he never take a bath?" Their mothers pressed their mouths shut and warned, "Don’t say such things. If you ever say that again, you’ll get a beating. Be careful."

I was pleased by the courage of the children who came near me, and I greeted them with a "Hello." The children, startled, ran away in fright. Chuckling to myself, I continued on my way. I hadn’t gone very far before I saw, on a street, boards just as the station master had described: "Rooms to Let."

I went up to one such house, pressed the button at the door, and waited. An old woman opened the door, took one look at my face with great distaste, exclaimed "Oh!" and promptly slammed the door shut. Amused, I went to another house. There, a middle-aged woman opened the door, looked me up and down suspiciously, and asked, "What do you want?"

"I want a room," I said.

"There are no rooms available, very sorry," she lied politely and closed the door.

At another place, the lady of the house made it quite clear from her expression that she had no desire to rent her room to someone of my complexion, and quoted an exorbitant rent. Understanding her meaning, I left.

At yet another house, an old woman opened the door and asked, "Which country are you from? Africa?"

"No, India," I replied.

"Oh! India. How wonderful. Are you the son of a Maharaja there?" she asked.

I laughed and said no. "I’m no Maharaja, just an ordinary man. I’ve come here to study. I need a room," I said.

She smiled, expressing both amusement and regret. "There are no vacancies at present. In about a week, a room will be free. If you come then, I’ll give it to you," she said.

Pleased with her words, I continued a little further when, to my great relief, I saw a countryman of mine coming towards me. It felt as if my soul had returned to my body. I thought, "You have saved me, my friend!" I stopped him, greeted him with a "Good morning," explained my predicament, and asked him to advise me on what to do.

"Alright, come with me," he said, and led me to a place nearby.

He took me into a large house with a signboard reading "Indian Association." Inside, he seated me in the hall, sat down opposite me, and said in English, "Now, tell me about yourself."

Many of our countrymen could be seen coming in and going out of that place. I narrated my entire story. He listened patiently. He told me he was a Bengali. As he was about to say something more, a man who looked unmistakably Telugu entered the room.

The Bengali sitting before me called out, "Hello Raju, come here!" The man came and stood by us. "Sit down. This fellow is from your region. He’s come here looking for a room. Poor chap, he’s been wandering about. Why don’t you show him a room somewhere and help him settle in?"