Sandhanam’s claim to fame in our neighborhood was an old framed photograph he carried with him in his omnipresent cloth shoulder bag. It was a picture of him with one of the biggest movie stars of India taken decades ago. Sandhanam stood there right by the movie star, his face split into an ingratiating grin while the movie star posed for the shot with smug reassurance and seriousness.

In the late evenings, rain or shine, Sandhanam could be found at the local liquor shop. He did odd jobs for a living, so he could not afford much, but somehow he managed to afford a drink or two. And when he did, out would come the picture from his shoulder bag, as well as tales from his childhood. Turns out he was a classmate of the movie star from kindergarten through middle school, and they had acted in school plays together. If Sandhanam were to be believed, he was the one the movie hero had learned his acting skills from.