More than 30 years ago, in a tiny village in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram, a bunch of 10-year-olds decided to make a new evening game out of renaming the streets — from their caste-demarcated ones to those inspired from their favourite icons.

Thiruvalluvar offered L R Shankar, Ambedkar said Manivanan, and M Kannan and Gnanasekaran suggested MGR.

Down the years, as their adolescence gave them the insight to reflect on their own revolutionary streaks, the boys went on to create and become forerunners of Netaji Welfare Movement (NWM), an undertaking that has turned the fate of Lattur — from a failing, alcohol-afflicted village, to a citizen-driven model community.

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