It was a house with two bedrooms, one sitting room, a hall and a kitchen. For many years, the villagers of Palem had no trouble guiding visitors to his place. The directions were simple—‘Take the eastward path from the Shivalayam and stop at the first brick house.’ Avadhani was also the only person in the village who owned two wells—one for drinking and one for irrigation. The smaller one, built of smooth, grey concrete, stood by the gate in front of the house, facing the village. The larger one was located a hundred or so metres behind the house, beyond the field it irrigated. He charged only a nominal sum for a pail of water but he did not allow anyone to come near it. Only he or one of his servants was allowed to draw water from his well. The third and final factor that contributed to Avadhani’s status in the village was the breed of buffaloes that he owned. Imported by his father from Ongole when Avadhani was a little boy, they had been passed on to him after his father’s death.
