I heard that there was “free stuff” in the men’s toilets. I hovered by the door and managed to catch a glimpse of the goods on a desk: a mix of pink 40th and 50th birthday cards, plus some pens and rulers in a pot. I made a quick dash through the door and grabbed some of the contents of the pot for the students.

When I returned to the corridor and checked my loot I discovered that these were not pens and rulers, but drug ampoules for diabetics, and specialist mathematical instruments. I felt obliged to return them, even though an Indian doctor advised me that I should keep the drugs on the basis that they might someday come in useful.