In a three-part series on Dadua, who was born Shivkumar Patel, Khabar Lahariya explores the oeuvre of his legend and legacy, mapping the picture of a man as complex as the land he was born in. We listened to the Dadua ke kisse-kahaani that have become part of the oral storytelling in Bundelkhand, pored over criminal records and case files registered against Dadua in both U.P. and M.P., and even paid a visit to a temple instituted in his name in the village of Kabraha. With an actual idol. They say if you visit the temple, you can say you’ve actually seen Dadua, because he remained an invisible presence while he was alive.

In Part 1, we chart out the rigid caste divisions that plague the land so that even dacoits are not spared. “Patels support Patels” was the gist of it. And we visit the temple where devotees counter-question us: “You say you’ve seen the case files against him. But have you seen him do any of the things written in those files?” Also Dadua’s son, Veer Singh, confesses he’s never seen his father either!