In Calcutta, Shambu and Kanhaiya have a harsh welcome. Nobody is willing to talk with them, let alone help them. Kanhaiya befriends a street-side shoe-shiner named Lalu "Ustad" (Jagdeep). They even lose their last possessions while they are asleep on the footpath. Kanhaiya falls ill and Shambu ends up renting a small room in the slums with the help of a tea vendor and the landlady's adopted grandchild, Rani. To pay the rent, Shambu works as a coolie. Shambu befriends an old rickshaw-puller, (Nazir Hussain), who helps him get a license as a rickshaw-puller. Kanhaiya tries to help his family by taking up shoe-shining with the help of the old rickshaw-puller and Lalu. Back in the village, Parvati and Gangu survive on eating water chestnuts picked from the local river. She seeks help from Bahu (Meena Kumari) to write letters to Shambu and stay in touch.