Expensive cars swished by, heavy trucks roared off and two-wheelers whizzed past him. People in the thousands walked all around him, carefully averting their eyes from his pitiful state. Around 10 policemen who man the circle everyday pretended he was just an illusion. The Eureka Towers building rose imperiously over him, hiving with activity.

He was too weak to even beg and the only movement was the constant touching of a small bundle of what seemed to be string tied to his waist. Nobody cared, till the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity came to him.

The Sisters of Shanti Sadan, a home for the sick and the homeless, were alerted by Mahesh Raiker, whoowns a diagnostic centre in Eureka Towers. Raiker does some charity work for Shanti Sadan and he contacted them about the man. Within minutes, Sister Sylvia and Sister Shyamala came to the spot in an ambulance, efficiently hefted him on to a stretcher and took him away.

There are about 100 of the poorest of the poor, destitute, diseased and sick people in Shanti Sadan, where they are washed, fed and looked after by these dedicated sisters. Most of them have AIDS and many of them die of the disease. Their final memories are of the calm and collected Sisters for whom no job is too dirty.

All they asked the man lying on the road was ``Will you come home?''