As soon as he stopped, someone else started. ‘Whenever we ask what caste she belongs to, you say she is from our caste only. If that is true, why haven’t her parents and relatives come along with the two of you? People are saying, ask him to bring them all here and show us. How do we answer them, mapillai?’

‘Only one or two boys your age are speaking in your support,’ intoned another voice. ‘But even they are not saying anything useful. Only things such as: he liked her, so he married her . . . that has got nothing to do with the village. Do you think this is fair? Tell us. You might have married her elsewhere, but you have brought her here. If there is a festival or a function, you will want to take her along with you. Mark my words: All this mixing might work with soda colours, but it doesn’t in life.’

Kumaresan, who had stayed quiet until then, suddenly lost his patience. ‘I have married her,’ he snapped, barely concealing the irritation in his voice. ‘What is it that you want me to do now?’

‘Do you think you can antagonize the village and remain alive?’ came the angry response. The man who said this turned to the others and quipped, ‘Why are we even talking to him? Let’s just tell him what the village has decided, and leave.’

Kumaresan sat in silence. His mother ranted, ‘Would he have done this if he had thought of the welfare of others?’

The man who sounded the oldest among the visitors began speaking in a calm voice. ‘Look here, mapillai,’ he intoned. ‘People said we should stop all preparations for the temple festival. They said we should not start any temple work without getting rid of the impurity that has come to our village because a girl from a different caste is living here. In the end though, everyone agreed that we should not stop preparations just for the sake of one person. But that does not mean we can leave things as they are. If we do that now, then everyone will bring girls from some other caste and keep them here. How can we let that happen? We carry pots of fire and pray to our Mariyatha. Would she tolerate another caste? If something happens to those who carry these firepots, who will take responsibility for that? So what we have decided is . . .’