Mahesh Malhotra

Mahesh Malhotra is a fellow prisoner remembered for helping Lin when Lin was starving. His inability to raise a modest bail becomes one of the reasons Lin uses his release from prison to press for another prisoner to be freed as well.

Identity and Circumstances

Mahesh is imprisoned alongside Lin. When Lin raises his case with a police officer and a prison official, he explains that Mahesh cannot afford bail, which amounts to a couple of thousand rupees. The passage presents this sum as beyond Mahesh’s means, leaving his release dependent on someone else’s intervention.

Solidarity with Lin

Mahesh’s connection to Lin is established through a specific act of help: while Lin was starving in prison, Mahesh took a beating in order to smuggle food to him. Lin later recalls this sacrifice while reflecting on the people who had shown him compassion in India. Mahesh’s support is not described as a transaction; Lin’s subsequent effort to secure help for his bail gives their relationship a reciprocal dimension.

Lin’s Request for His Release

As Lin prepares to leave prison, he asks that Vikram be allowed to pay Mahesh’s bail so Mahesh can walk out with him. The officials react with bewilderment, apparently treating the fate of a poor and socially insignificant prisoner as outside their concerns. The passage records Lin’s request, but does not confirm whether the bail is paid or whether Mahesh is released. His brief appearance nevertheless sharpens the contrast between institutional indifference and the personal obligations formed among prisoners.