His feat with the snakes in the granary was the talk of the town for a long time.

Something happened when Akkayya was twenty-one. He had gone to the udan kaadu to the south of Gopallapuram to chop thorny twigs. He gathered a load, tied it into a bundle, drove his sickle-end into the centre, placed it on his head and held the bundle by the ends of the stick. He was walking back when two thieves apprehended him and demanded his earrings.

‘You want my kadukkan, right?’ asked Akkayya, mildly. ‘I shall stand here. Why don’t you each remove one and leave?’ The thieves confidently came close to him; he seized each of their heads, shoved them under his armpits and carried them back into the town with his bundle. The whole town was amazed by his prowess. The youngsters tied the thieves upside down from the fig tree next to the canal and thrashed them black and blue with tamarind twigs. People from the neighbouring town too heard about this and came over to watch the scene.

The thieves were only brought down after two days and ordered, ‘Get lost, you goons! Do not ever set foot in this direction again. Go now!’

Govindappa Nayakkar was convinced the secret of Akkayya’s enormous strength was his celibate lifestyle. In fact, he spoke about this emphatically whenever his youngest brother was around.

Both the men and the women of the village teased him about his single, celibate life. But there was a difference. The men never spoke about this to his face. But the women could and he would not react adversely.

10

ONE DAY, KRISHNAPPA NAYAKKAR WAS unwell. So, instead of him, Sundarappa Nayakkar went to the fields, to plough. The ploughing that is done just after the summer showers to get the ground ready for sowing is known as ezhupidippu. This makes it easier, during the rains, for the water to enter the ground and wash away the weeds.

Earlier they would use only one plough. But they were unable to finish the job before the next shower. ‘Oh dear, it has started to rain,’ the farmers with huge families would moan. Of course they could use two ploughs for every pair of oxen, but the people thought the beasts may find it tough to draw.

So, Akkayya brought in the carpenter to remove the long wooden piece on which the yoke rested and told him to mould it so as to reduce the weight of the plough. Thus, they got ready a pair of ploughs, lighter in weight and capable of digging deeper. When Sundarappa Nayakkar saw them, he burst out in guffaws. ‘Mama, what can these be useful for except to play with?’

Actually a crowd had gathered in the house to watch the fun. Krishnappa Nayakkar did not offer any comments, just concentrated on correcting the ploughs. Govindappa Nayakkar patiently replied, ‘When he does something, he has a plan in his mind.’ But his brothers continued to tease Akkayya, and the women giggled amongst themselves.