But Thiravathi Nayakkar was adamant. He grabbed Chinnathambi, wrestled him to the floor, and sat astride his stomach. Chinnathambi had no idea what to do. What a mess, he thought to himself. ‘Okay, you’ve won. Now let me go.’

‘No, that won’t do. It’s your turn to tackle me.’

‘Oh fine,’ he replied, flipping Thiravathi over and sitting on him.

By then a crowd had gathered around. Many more came running, wondering what was happening. ‘Nothing! Nothing at all. We are just wrestling for fun,’ Thiruvathi told them, turned to Chinnathambi and continued, ‘Dey, now it is my turn again. So look out.’ He tried his best, but this time it was impossible.

‘Shall I stop?’ Chinnathambi whispered softly. It only made Thiruvathi mad.

‘Stop, will you? Is that why I asked for a game? Look what I do now.’ He tried with all his strength. Chinnathambi continued to squat on his chest like a Pullaiyar.

The people around were giggling aloud, trying to cheer Thiruvathi in his effort. He persisted with all his might, but with no avail. He graciously gave in and asked Chinnathambi to let go.

When he rose, Chinnathambi dusted the mud off his back and his body with his hands. It was then that Thiruvathi Nayakkar said, ‘Dey, Chinnathambi, you have a good heart. You are a fine-hearted man.’

Since then people addressed Thiruvathi Nayakkar as ‘fine-hearted man’.

The one sitting beside him is Peththa Konthu Kottaiya, who spoke in a loud voice. He was full-throated. No matter how many spoke around him, he could shout them all down and be the only voice that was heard. Perhaps that was the reason he earned himself nicknames like Loud Nayakkar, Big Throat Nayakkar! No one was quite sure. His wife was stone deaf and since he had to speak loudly to be heard by her, it had become his usual tone outside the home too.

The one next to Peththa Konthu Kottaya is Snuff Kenga Nayakkar. He owned a snuff shop. He always bought quality tobacco, placed it in a broad vessel and pounded it down non-stop with a thick tamarind stick. The snuff powder that he made was famous in all the neighbouring towns. People came from all over with millet hay bundles to barter for his snuff, fondly wrapped in a dry leaf. And so he is known as Snuff Kenga Nayakkar—not only because he uses the snuff powder himself.

The one hunched beside him is Cement House Lakshmana Nayakkar. His ancestors were the first to build a cemented house and therefore he earned that as a prefix to his name.

The one sitting behind him is Kanganam Suppana aka Tiger Slayer Suppana. On the day of his marriage a kanganam, an auspicious turmeric-smeared yellow thread, was ritually tied around his wrist. It is believed that once the kanganam was tied, the groom should not do anything till it was formally removed. But just then a tiger strayed into the town from the forest. While the people ran around helter-skelter screaming in fear, it was Suppana who, in spite of the kanganam, picked up his spear, went ahead and slayed the errant tiger. And because of this brave act of his he had two titles to his name.