“This is our palace,” says 60-year-old N Ravindranath Shetty, as he welcomes one to his home with a grin. The palace he refers to is a 240 square feet single-room house made of clay bricks, roofed with coconut thatch and tarpaulin. An incredulous stare elicits an explanation: “Since we moved here, my wife and I spend all our time outdoors. This is all we need by way of a house.”