Two months ago the garbage container disappeared. The MR Party had opened an office nearby. The party workers began to find the stench of the garbage unbearable and had the municipality remove the container. Haridas was upset about the loss of this important landmark; but Ramprasad gave him a piece of happy news. The MR Party, keen on local votes, was planning a urinal in place of the garbage container.

The urinal was built before you could say piss. The heavyweights of the party were happily available for its inauguration and so it went on stream in style. When the inaugural ribbon was cut, ten strapping, hand-picked locals were lined up to pee in the urinal. They were paid a handsome fee. Their only regret was that, given the nature of their services, the press had published no pictures.

With the urinal in place, Haridas began directing newcomers to his home thus: ‘Second right. Walk down the road till you hit Shri Maibhoomi Rashtriya Paksha Ablutions Complex No. 11. The wadi opposite that is where I live.’ A few days later some public-spirited local youth improved on the MR Party’s idea of social service. Taking into consideration the linguistic inadequacies of the common man, they painted ‘URINAL’ over ‘Ablutions Complex No. 11’ in big, red letters. Nobody knew why the MR Party workers had decided urine was less offensive, as stinks go, than garbage. The garbage had kept more or less to itself. But you could smell the urinal all the way to the end of the street. In fact, Haridas often tells people now to ‘turn right and follow your nose till you hit . . .’