Ajji stands dazed, old and helpless. With a roar, Thimmakka jumps down and grabs at Ajji’s waist. Before Ajji knows what is happening, she snatches Parvati’s garland and rushes out of the temple, leading the mass of the screaming villagers in the pouring rain.

The wild procession surges towards the headman’s house. Ajji prays alone in front of the stone Ooramma, while the trapped Ramappa and Chandru squirm and struggle under the fallen tree, with Bangari’s silent tears and useless efforts for company in the streaming rain.

At the headman’s house, Maadhi sets Parvati aside and goes to Sundru. With soft hands, she caresses his brow, setting his head on her lap, crooning to him gently in an alien tongue. As all the colours fade away from him, Sundru opens his eyes and looks at Maadhi. ‘You can rest now. No one will take me from you,’ she says. A sort of peace settles on his face and he moves, gradually sitting up. His eyes fall on her garland of swetasanchari and suryavamsi.

Sundru smiles as his head swims. He is himself now. His fever has broken. He needs to do his annual role on the day of Kamanahabba and ensure the harvests are fine. Maadhi puts the garland around his neck. Sundru picks one swetasanchari from the garland and blows all the pollen out of it, just like he has for the last five years. The pollen falls on a suryavamsi bud and it blooms. He laughs. Tenderly, he raises Maadhi to her feet.

Parvati looks at the peace in her Sundranna’s face with dawning wonderment. Sundru smiles at her and, as if making her a witness, takes that wondrous fragrant garland from his neck and puts it around Maadhi’s. Parvati feels dizzy with joy. Sundru has found his Ramani. She turns back towards Annaiah to wake and tell him.

Just then Thimmakka enters her brother’s threshold, dancing and chanting, ‘Kamanna kattige, kattige ge kolu, kolige benki, benkige dahana.’ She sees the fallen Annaiah at the same time as Parvati. As Parvati rushes forward to save him, Thimmakka, with a triumphant scream, throws the fragrant garland she has grabbed from Ajji’s waist around Annaiah’s neck.

Even Bhaskaraiah later swears to the policeman who comes to investigate from the market town that Annaiah’s body just burst into flames, rising higher and higher till the stone roof above turned black.