Free The Best I Could by Subhas Anandan Page A

100 kg. We were quite afraid and more than a little bit intimidated. The first secretary was a calm and polite person. He took our petition and said that he would pass it on to the ambassador together with our demand to engage in a debate. He then requested that we tell the students outside to disperse.
    When we went out, we saw that a huge crowd had joined the students. It looked as though the students were outnumbered by the outsiders. To add to the drama that was unfolding, Conrad Jeyaraj decided to burn the American flag. Since he could not reach the flag flying at the embassy, he decided to torch the flag that we brought along. It was given to us by Jackie Sam, a senior
Straits Times
reporter as his contribution to our cause. Before Conrad could burn the flag, we were told by the police that they would not tolerate littering. They further emphasised that we could do anything to the flag except litter. So we decided to stamp on the flag and spit at it. We finally tore it and threw the tattered flag into the dustbin. The police were glad that we did not litter the premises. Eventually, I was told by the commander to get everyone to disperse. He said he had given us enough leeway and that we must leave or he would have to use force to clear us. He asked the leaders to have a quick meeting with the students. It was agreed that we all leave. We could see the relief in the faces of the policemen as we did so. The ambassador ultimately did not take up the challenge to a debate. I don’t blame him as his case was indefensible. The Americans had no right to be in Vietnam, and more and more Americans were beginning to realise it.
    Not long after that, we organised a demonstration outside the Soviet Union embassy against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968. The Czechoslovakian government had declared that the troops had not been invited into the country and that the invasion was a violation of socialist principles, international law and the UN Charter. Again, the student protestors were joined by outsiders who swelled the crowd. The Russians did not want to see any of us. They locked their doors and did not respond to the abuse thrown at them. Some of us decided that we should burn the embassy cars to teach them a lesson. Sunny Chew, who was one of the Students’ Union leaders, told us not to do it. He did not want any violence. I was tired of singing and shouting, so I decided to go to the back of the embassy. I knocked on a window. A man opened it slightly and I asked him whether he could speak English. When he said he could, I asked if he could spare a few bottles of vodka. Our conversation was heard by some students who had followed me to the back of the embassy and they promptly reported my request to Sunny. He came immediately with some others and hauled me away. They were cursing me all the way, saying that I had cheapened the demonstration with my request for vodka. Other students thought it was funny and a little vodka would be welcome. Again, the police told us to leave or they would have to use force. I remember we marched off singing songs defaming the Soviet Union. For a few days, my request for vodka was a big talking point at Union House.
    On another occasion during my university days, four of us went to a movie at the old Lido cinema, a classic standalone building with an airy 1960s feel to it. The cinema had front stalls, back stalls and circle seats. We bought half-priced tickets and proceeded to enter the hall. We were stopped and told we had to pay the full price. Our response was that we were students and that they had advertised that students pay only half the price. A commotion ensued and the manager of the cinema came and led us to his office. I explained to the manager that we were students and his advertisements had said that students pay half the price. He said the price was meant for schoolchildren. I told him we could not accept this explanation because if it was meant only for