Other cases that involved families, like quarrels among cousins, a difference of opinion among couples, rejection of elders, property division and dowry issues would always come under the purview of the influential village elders. Certain difficult disputes could take days or even months to be solved. Such cases can really be solved amicably only by time, not an individual judge.

The tougher part in this was trying to comprehend the case completely, for the village folk had a distinct way of stating their side, and that differed from person to person.

The plaintiff might suddenly turn on the judge, assume him to be the defendant and begin to accuse him. ‘You sinner!’ he’d cry, ‘What did I do to you to deserve such treatment from you?’

An outsider might even think the argument is between the plaintiff and the judge. ‘You will rot in hell. May your entire lineage be ruined!’ could be some of the words spat out in anger.

During such times, Arasappa Nayakkar would grin silently, raise his left palm and appease the angry man. The affected woman would promptly fall silent, step aside with her head bent and wipe her tears with her sari pallu.

The Kottaiyars were experts at solving such tricky cases; in fact they had been doing so for three generations now.

Those were the times when the rules of the Palayapattu had lost their power and were slowly shifting into the hands of the colonists. Those were dark days. Burglaries, banditry, riots, were on the rampage. Since there was no real authority in place, it was left to the people themselves to protect their property. People’s courts seized the thieves and burglars and handed out the punishments.

One day …

2

IT WAS A BLISTERING SUMMER.

A woman from the Kammallar caste, who lived in a village next to Kayathaar, was walking down the Mangamma Road after an argument with her husband.

It was almost time for the cattle to be penned. The sun was blazing. She looked around as she walked, hoping to find a handful of water to quench her thirst.

It wasn’t as bad as it is now. Then, black babul trees grew dense across Karisal Kaadu, right up to the horizon. Shorter thorny shrubs, with a thick brush of white flowers atop, were scattered amongst them. Roots of the undergrowth were shrouded with cucurbit vines. The honeyed fragrance of the shrub blossoms was enticing. The buzzing of the bees was unceasing. The gentle breeze scattered the heat slightly and that made even the slightest sound more audible. The noises swept past the ears, as if one had never heard them before.

Her throat was drying up. She had covered her head with the loose end of her sari so that her heavy ear ornament would not be visible as well as to protect herself from the sun. Her clothes were drenched with sweat. Thirst and loneliness were depressing. She held the end of her sari tight between her teeth. This was making her mouth parched as well.