He was called Raj and he came from Kolkata where he lived with his father in a small dark room

with no windows. Now he lived in a bright and clean boarding house in a dingy area of

Portsmouth in England which was to him an improvement compared to what he had growing up.

Raj had been a cleaner on a cruise liner and part of a team responsible for cleaning cabins.

5He took great pride in his work, often going above and beyond what was asked of him. He

would put little chocolates in the rooms he took care of and help his co-workers by doing extra

shifts when asked. Thus, he was often singled out for compliments by both staff and

passengers. On his last voyage on the ship, he developed appendicitis and was put ashore in

England. The operation had gone uneventfully but the wound became infected and Raj spent

10two weeks poised between life and death. By the time he was discharged from hospital, his

ship had sailed on to Norway. The shipping company managed to arrange permission for him to

stay in the country and suggested he work on land for a while until he recovered.

He then applied to a local employment agency. He was interviewed by a man and after ten

minutes, he was offered the job of looking after the toilets at a railway station. He accepted it.

15He sent a letter to his father who could not read or write and would have it read to him by his

neighbour. “I have a very good job now. The pay is good and the duties are light,” he wrote. The

neighbour wrote back to tell him that his father was very proud of him.

Raj was a hard worker and he found there was much to do at the station toilets. They had not

been redecorated for years and Raj decided to do something about that himself. He bought tins

20of paint, a folding ladder and the necessary brushes and rollers. He completed the redecoration

over a weekend, working late into the night.

The station manager came to see him, asking if he had done this himself. Raj nodded. He was

concerned he might get into trouble for acting without permission but the station manager

merely smiled and thanked him, saying he had done a fine job.

25Members of the public began to take note, complimenting Raj on the gleaming taps, the

spotless, well-scrubbed floor and the scented flowers that he put at his own expense. The local

newspaper sent a reporter to write a full-page article on the exemplary toilets after hearing

about them from many of their readers. Raj sent a copy of it to his father, who wrote back,

through the neighbour, to say, “I am the proudest father.”

30One morning, a policeman came into the toilet and waited by the door. Raj wondered whether

he was making an arrest somebody. However, another man came in. This was the prime

minister. The prime minister said to Raj, “I read about your work in the paper. Imagine if

everybody in this country took this sort of pride in their work.” Raj beamed with pleasure.

Then the prime minister asked if he needed anything. Raj thought. He bit his lip. Then he

35said, “My father, Sir. He is on his own in India and I would like to have him here so that I can

take care of him.”

The sun came in through a high window and shone on the highly polished taps. The prime

minister hesitated. Then, he said, “Sometimes, I can help.” Then he added, “Sometimes.”

Raj looked down at the floor and squeezed his eyes shut as he realised the audacity of his

40request. Had he crossed some line of which he was unaware? Another man in a suit soon

appeared. The prime minister whispered something to him. The man nodded, looked at Raj, and

smiled.

Raffles Girls' School 2025 P6 English Prelim — Practice