The social distance between Chuppan and me

No one, now a days, identifies the sharp turn of the road before  Munnar Market by its given name - Subbans. May be the place is too small to have a name. But website of the town administration says it's office is at Subbans. 

Recently  I went to the office to get a certificate. It was  8 in morning, most of the estate workers had left for their work and the shops were yet to open. So I asked one on the road for directions to Subbans. The cleaning worker seemed to hear it for the first time. I did not want to bother him futher, so asked for the local body office. He gave me a precise direction and added that the office was yet to open, but  as usual, Ayya,  the official incharge, is very much there.

My cousin, while asking, me  to collect a certificate on his behalf, from the office had told me that the official who was to issue it, was about to retire and  had promised to issue the certificate before he retired.  But I never imagined it was his last day at work. I felt guilty when I saw the large number of files waiting on the table in front of him. I told him I am sorry to bother him futher when so many files are there to deal with and offered to collect the certificate later.

'It is ok. It is ready. Let me finish this one' He said looking back into the file infront of him. And I looked around to do something that may not disturb him.

It was then I found the photo on the wall. Yes, it was Chuppan!

It may not be correct just to say he was known to me. Because I used to spend some time with him almost every morning of my childhood days.

Mr Shanmugham the officer was very much  in mood to talk about the man in the photo.
"Do you know him ?" He said inviting me to the chair in front of him with his hand

"Yes. very well" I said. But it seems my face conveyed  more than my words. Every morning sharp at eight the sound of Chuppen sweeping the Irish drains around our house brought me out of the house. Chuppen in clean Khaki shirt and shorts with the long broom in a hand used to salam me. I promptly acknowledged with my hand raised and shouting "salaam"

" Please don't come near" He used to caution me as soon as I reached ' the social distance'. Yes, he was very particular about the social distance to be kept between us. I had to keep the distance even if he is not working. I remember the nearest I reached was at the tea ceremony that was performed at the unbarred window of the kitchen every day. After his work  he  used to clean himself and present at the window, but a few feet away. The maid servant brought the pot full of tea and kept on the window cill. It was my turn then to bring the jar of 'chakkarai' (jagari) and select one or two pieces of Chakkarai as directed by Chuppen and keep on a piece of paper I had ready with me. I used to ask why not mix it with tea. According to him the sweetness drowns the taste of tea. If  present, my  mother used to offer more tea. Any quantity of tea was welcome.

M

The Tamil film song 'paalum pazhavum kaikalil' was his favourite. When ever the song was played in radio I used to run to him and anounce it. He came to the door, I kept wide open.

"Oh Ayya was in Ellapetti estate in those days"(referring to my father). Shanmugham's   words brought me back to present.

I told him about my meeting Chuppan years afterwards at the market. It was a long time after my father retired from the estate and settled at our native town .

We, two of my college friends and me, were at Munnar market.

I heared the salam from a distance which took me back to my younger days.  I returned the salute.  He  was in deep bluish black pants and shirt.  His black gumboots were clean and shining. He had not changed- only his uniform. He looked taller in pants and gum boots. He inquired about the well being of my parents and about my brothers. I was amazed, he remembered even their names correctly. 

Something about his manners told me that he had some request to me in private. I waived at my friends to go on while Chuppan smiled at them. It was then the tea ceremony restarted after a gap of more than a decade. A boy appeared with a jug of tea and a steel tumbler from the nearby tea stall and kept on a raised platform near us. Chuppen produced a small packet and a piece of clean paper from his poket and moved away - the social distance. I knew what I was expected to do. I selected two pieces of Chakkarai from the packet and kept on the white paper. There was a spec of approval in his eyes. I moved away. I could read the times of my childhood in his face. The rare smile on his face  told me that he too cherished those memories.

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On return from Munnar I told my parents about my meeting Chuppan  My father was glad that his sincerity was  recognised   by the company.  My mother was inquisitive about Chuppan and Santhi, one of our maids, she asked whether he said anything about Santhi, the maid. It was then I learned the best kept secret of chuppan, Santhi was his sister! He had entrusted her to my mother so that no one knew that they are siblings. But I was aware of some relationship between them. I tried to compare them from my memory.

What I remembered was his eyes. One of his eyes had no black iris, instead a slight grey shade in the middle. He had lost his father and sight of one of is eyes to small pox in his childhood. ₹₹₹₹

His father belonged an upper cast family and was married to a woman of  a lower cast. Hi7s elder sister's Marriage in to a lower cast brought bitter enimocity from his father's relatives again.  An attack  on her forced his mother to escape from their village with her two children. 

Came to Munnar and got employed as worker though she was educated and died of an unknown disease soon after.

 Subbaiah who was sixteen at that time started as his career as a cleaner in the estate and supported his sister studying in a boarding school run by a charity for the poor. Santhi continued her studies and during vacations she doubled as our house maid.

"Will you be able to spare an hour in the evening " the words of the official brought me back to the present.

"Why not, where?" I was eager to learn more about Chuppen.

In the evening we met at room behind the office that served as his residence,. The room had all the looks of a hotel room about to be vacated. Mr. Shanmugam was all set to leave Munnar. He was very vocal about Munnar and the days Ellapetty Subbaiah  kept the town spec and tidy.  My friend Chuppen was Subbaiya to him as inscribed in the brass plate below the photo.  The name of the estate Ellapetty where he worked prior to joining Munnar town was added to distinguish him from many others of the same name in the town.

The company was much impressed by his work, they appointed him as supervisor to oversee the cleaning  of entire Munnar town and was provided with a quarter at the heart of Munnar. During his entire remaing service Chuppan stayed at the house. On retirement the quarters in which he stayed was given to him as a gift by the company.

It was at that time the State government decided to constitute a local administration for Munnar.The election to the local body was conducted. It was at the popular request Chuppen agreed to contest in the election. He was elected unopposed and became the president of the local administration. Subbaiah (his name Chuppen was forgotten in a short time) was able to make a lot of improvement in the town. Aminities for public were improved considerably. The beatification of govt buildings, roads taken up were much appreciated by all.

Inspite of all good deeds there were a few who wanted to spoil. They brought up a controversy regarding his cast. The president's position was reserved for elected lower cast persons.  The way he reads and writes indicated that Subbaiah was educated. In those days no one from lower caste was educated

So they reported to govt the allegation that belonged to upper cast and so not eligible for the position The government saught the company's records and views..

The the general managers stand was categorical. Company had no record of his parents or his marriage. He was working independently for the company  (not under any Kankani head man). and has been doing the manual cleaning buildings of the company till he was appointed as a supervisor. Clearly  the company had considered him to be a member of the lower cast, as upper class refuse to do such work, though the company does not segregate workers by cast.

The Government accepted the company's statement and allowed. But Subbaiah resigned from the position. He donated the house to the local body and left for his native village in the plains.

The house was converted to office of the local body. Subsequently a new office building was constructed there.

I looked at the portrait again. Yes there were both the years after his name  SUBBAIAH ELLAPETTI on the brass plate below.