Just a few months ago, he told everyone about something called computeru, a machine that does things faster than people can. Of course, the older people don’t trust such things. The newspaper story says Chief Minister Bangarappa, who gave away his land, just like Sundru’s grandfather Byregowda did to the tillers, is corrupt because he bought these computerus at high rates to run the government.

How can such a thing be true, asks Kallayya reasonably. His TV doesn’t say anything about this.

‘What do these paper people know,’ says Siddegowda. ‘Bangarappa seems like a good man. Anyway, who wants a computeru when so many intelligent people are there to do the work? A sensible man like Bangarappa will not want such stupid things. Why, Byregowda used to speak highly of him.’

Sundru doesn’t care, one way or the other. He is preoccupied with connecting the wells on their land to a motor, which his cousin and playmate Chandru has recently heard of. Sundru wonders if what Chandru says is true and that the motor can pull the water up and send it out to the fields. There is some idea at the back of his mind on how this can be done. The other villagers would just laugh if he suggested it, but he and Chandru could pull it off.

For the villagers, Sundru is special in just one way. Despite his secret beedi-smoking and his occasional penchant for hogesoppu weed each time the Kamanahabba is celebrated, he is the automatic choice for the role of Kamadeva in the play where Siva has to burn desire. It has happened for five years in a row now. Somehow, he is the only person everyone can agree upon. It makes him the object of much jealousy. Not that Sundru particularly cares. If Annaiah asks him to do something he will do it, that’s all.

As always, Annaiah manages all the decorations and arrangements for the habba by himself. At some point long in the past, he took over the rights to conduct the habba and nobody dares question it now. All day long, the children of the village run around, smearing and throwing colours on each other and having a very good time. The very young roll on the ground, squealing with laughter and tickling each other to tears. The teenagers use it as an excuse to smear colours on the girl or the boy they fancy. Kamanahabba is a great time for otherwise-unsanctioned touching and feeling.

All the girls aim for Sundru, except those who are his sisters by blood. They wait in every corner for him, while some of the older ones run behind him. They throw red, golden-yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, indigo, violet, magenta, pink, brown, silver, grey. Sundru accepts it with no particular pleasure and sneaks off to the banyan tree as often as possible to smoke hogesoppu.