“When we went to jail, we were all in one group. And we had a library. All the books were in one room. So, the first night, Woodhull kept the light on and slept. So I said, ‘Woodhull, the last time this happened, we had quarrels. I have a little more experience about jail goings on. So let me go and stay in the next room.”
” I used to eat in the common room and sleep in the next room. So next room became my room. Soon after that, Devan Nair asked, ‘Come, I’ll stay with you.” I said, ‘Please Devan don’t. You know, if you stay in the room with me, sooner or later we will have some quarrels.”
“I think that is the problem with most detentions. There is no time in which you can withdraw. You are always in each other’s pocket all the time. So little problems never get time to heal and they become bigger especially when you get cantankerous chaps like me!”
“Devan didnt care for Woodhull and wanted to move out of their room. So I said, “Alright.” Devan came and stayed with me, in the room I was in. Quite soon after that we had a quarrel and it became a flaming row. The worst part of the problem was that Devan, because he had not been to university, suffered from a chip on his shoulder. So every time you said anything to him, he thinks we are lolling it over him. And he said, ‘Oh, you think because you have gone to university, you think you are so clever!”
There were three rooms in this block. So I moved into the next room.