The day after

8220;Yes it is stressful but I believe that once a person is brought to a hospital, it is the doctors8217; job to ensure that he survives,8221; says Farani. An MS surgeon, Farani, who did his course in medicine from Nair Hospital in Mumbai, returned to Malegaon though it had earned the reputation of a 8220;riot-prone8221; area.

8220;I practised medicine for a year in Mumbai. But my father wanted me to settle down in Malegaon. I enjoy working in this city and interacting with the people here,8221; he says.

8220;A town of this size needs its own civil hospital. The government had sanctioned one, but nothing happened. This time, we have been assured by both Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi of a hospital soon,8221; he says.

8220;When we moved into this facility, the riots of 2002 occurred. We expanded it some months back and this happened. People now jokingly tell me not to go ahead with any expansion plans,8221; he says.

A devout Muslim, the doctor is pained at the turn of events involving the community. 8220;I think the problem lies in the mindset of people. An initiative has to be launched to change this,8221; he says, recalling a line from author Ayn Rand: The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it.