An isolated hut, fashioned from rusted aluminium sheets and scavenged cardboard, stands precariously along the marshy, bush-filled banks of the Kadinamkulam backwaters in Azhoor, near Chirayinkeezhu, in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala.

The dwelling consists of just two small rooms and a narrow hall, with utensils, discards and firewood strewn around the perimeter. Inside, the air is thick with the smell of damp earth and woodsmoke. Outside, 38-year-old Dileep stares desolately at a fresh mound of earth where half a dozen wreaths wither in the midday sun.