Like manna from heaven

“GULF house”, says Dinesh Kumar every few seconds, gesturing out of the window of a car as it drives through Vennicode, in south-west India. His commentary is hardly necessary. The new houses, built with money sent home by people working in Dubai, Oman and other Gulf countries, flash like gold teeth in this backwater village surrounded by coconut palms. Vennicode has a brand new private school, too, as well as huge advertisements for jewellery shops and much more traffic than its narrow roads can handle. It is a tribute to emigration.