New Delhi, April 30 -- I was preparing for my UPSC exams one evening in early 1981 in my room (I was staying with my uncle those days), when I heard a man shout excitedly from the square below (these were government quarters) - "Mata chadh gayi, Mata chadh gayi". In no time, I could hear people assembling outside and my own aunt rushed out. Curious, I stepped out to the first-floor balcony to see what the fuss was all about. A throng had collected outside the house below, occupied by a Sindhi family, and people were jostling to get inside through the door. This required a closer examination and I too went down. There was a stampede which I had to negotiate to eventually get inside.

What I saw in the drawing-room held me in thrall, as it ...