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Also known as “khunna mukhiya”, J was the erstwhile pradhan (village head). He used to be a wrestler when he was younger and the villagers were full of stories of his exploits. He lived with his daughter and her two children. Though he and his sister were both still at school, J’s grandson was married and his wife also lived with them. His daughter’s husband had died in an accident and she now ran the house and took charge of the renovation, etc. His house was being renovated, and construction workers (often the poorest villagers) walked back and forth all day, carrying construction material on their heads, adding some more rooms to the house and constructing a new roof. Outside the house and right against the wall was a cement platform where men congregate informally and chat.
One room in the house was exclusively for meetings with members of the public and any visitors for J were directed there. Inside the room was a bed and a bamboo pole used to dry clothes on. There was also a bulky electricity meter installed after the village began to be supplied with power a few years ago. As village head, J was instrumental in setting up a government funded hand pump - which stood outside his house and was used by the entire village to draw water.
J was possibly the only one in the village who owned a fridge. The kitchen, while in use, was a pitch-black and smoke-filled space under the stairs that lead to the roof. Most of the villagers cooked using cow dung cakes as fuel. The houses in the village had doors painted bright blue, and on the front door of the J’s house his granddaughter had stuck a mor pankh (peacock feather).
“Just like that,” she offered by way of explanation.