Strangely, things began to improve after the '46 riots and we were excited about Independence. On the night of August 15, 1947, the wall of suspicion crumbled, giving way to an unprecedented feeling of Hindu-Mussalmaan bhai-bhaiism. I enrolled in Calcutta University's Law college and took the Bachelor of Law degree. I passed the Chamber's examination from the Calcutta High Court, topping the list, and was awarded the Sir Rashbehary Ghosh Memorial medal. But all of a sudden, everyone started refering to me as that Muslim boy, who would now become an advocate. Another riot in 1950 turned everything topsy-tun35 and like other Muslims, it shattered my dream. I realised that there was no future for me in India and looked to East Pakistan. The initial months were traumatic. Things began to look up as my career took off. I asked the rest of my family to join me in 1953. The same year when I was 30 years old, I married Sultana Begum whose family had migrated from Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.