Andheri is the setting for a formative period in Lin’s association with Khaled Ansari: near Andheri station, Khaled’s apartment became a daily meeting place where study, companionship, and work converged.

The Apartment Near Andheri Station

Khaled lived in a sparsely furnished, Spartan apartment near Andheri station. Lin visited him every day, and their sessions lasted five or six hours. Their conversations ranged from ancient history and anthropology to reserve-bank interest-rate policies and fixed and floating currencies. The setting is presented not as a description of Andheri itself, but as the practical center of an unusually close apprenticeship.

Study, Friendship, and Work

Their discussions began in part with a shared interest in Ranjitbhai and the lepers’ organized black market in medicines. Khaled approached the subject as a historian, while Lin was drawn to the story of the group’s suffering and response. The exchange helped establish what the narrative describes as a bond of intellectual respect between two exiles, and their friendship took hold with the quick trust of survivors.

After a month of lessons, Lin began working with Khaled every morning and evening, seven days a week. The work paid well: Lin was sometimes paid in thick blocks of rupee notes, still fastened with steel staples from the bank. Andheri thus marks a shift in Lin’s circumstances, from learning alongside Khaled to earning substantial money through their daily association.