They meet on the same verandah most mornings. Tea, then whatever the village has brought them: a boundary argument, a disputed well, a quarrel between two families that is really about something said fifteen years ago.

Between them they have settled more than sixty disputes. Not one has gone on to become a police matter.

"People come angry," the older of the two said. "They expect us to take a side. When they see we are sitting on the same bench, half the anger goes before anyone speaks."

Their method is unhurried and almost entirely unofficial. Both sides speak without interruption. Nothing is decided the same day. Any agreement is repeated back in both Tamil and Arabic-inflected Tamil so that no one can later claim they misunderstood.

ESUDO has begun documenting the approach so that younger mediators in neighbouring villages can learn it. Four trainees now sit in on sessions. The elders are firm that the work cannot be rushed or formalised into a checklist.

"Trust is not a form you fill," one said. "It is a habit you keep."