Faith in the divine will is said to impede humans from taking action to alter their lives; yet it can also help a person reconcile to the harshness of his fate he is in no position to change, as is true for 62-year-old Shamshad Ahmad. This is astonishing for a person whose son Shadab, 28, was arrested in the summer of 2020 for his alleged role in the lynching of police constable Ratan Lal. Shadab was subsequently booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly participating in the conspiracy to foment that year’s riots in Northeast Delhi. Languishing in Delhi’s Mandoli Jail, he is unlikely to walk into freedom anytime soon, given the UAPA’s stringent bail provisions.

I expect Shamshad to narrate the story of Shadab with anguish and desperation. But Shamshad is calmness personified, eager to express his philosophy of life. “I took the arrest of my son as Allah’s will. I was not worried then, I am not worried now,” Shamshad says, leaving me perplexed.