My man Friday

 

“Can you please come home for a few minutes Shanmugam?” I make a call to my carpenter. He wants to know the problem. I tell him that this continuous monsoon rains had tightened the bathroom door and needed lot of pressure to open it. He tells me that he was on a job and can he make it in the evening or early tomorrow morning? I hesitate and tell him that sir is finding it difficult to open it. In that case he says he would come in the evening and is it ok if he was a bit late and I say I don’t mind.

“amma, please check the door.”

“It will be ok Shanmugam.”

He insists that I check and I do it for his satisfaction.

I open my purse.

 “What are you doing amma? It is a minute’s job and would you want pay for it?”

The other day I called the nearby plumber to check the over flowing flush tank. It was a small adjustment inside the flush tank mechanism but like a specialist medicine man he charged me two fifty rupees. Amidst these hungry men my Shanmugam was an exception!

“We are planning to have two cots in the guest room Shanmugam”.

We will make it with good quality wood and I will give an excellent finish. When do you need them amma?

But first where is your estimate?

“What estimate do I need from amma? He retorts and takes out from his shirt pocket his two thousand and five hundred proudly, a mannerism he exhibits whenever there is a financial dealing.

Lot of insistence later he takes an advance for the cots.

Indeed, a rich man in heart and soul!

But there arose a time when he hesitantly stood before me scratching his head.

He was at home for a minor repair and the usual ‘hurry burry’ ‘see you amma’ lest I give him some cash was absent that day. “Can I take leave amma?” he said. His hesitancy persisted. And then he courageously opened up to say “Amma can you give me some money?”

I was stunned! “What happened Shanmugam?” Can I give you a cheque?  Is it some emergency?”

He laughed sardonically and showed me a cheque from his usual treasure trove, his shirt pocket and said “Amma this useless man Modi had indeed made our world topsy-turvy with his demonetization thing.” The tumultuous crowds at all the banks resemble a fish market. An unbelievable lengthy queue is there at the ATMs for a measly sum. This includes the tourists who need hard cash for trivial purchases. His lamentations were multifarious!

I too was stranded in my own way. The foreign guests have arrived at home, the big festival is around the corner and I need hard cash. I call up my husband who left for our bank quiet early and he says that he is still sitting at the bank which is even more helpless. It seems that it would take two more hours for the bank to obtain the cash.

And here at home stands my man at my mercy. I rush inside and tilt my shopping handbag and get three hundred. I was despondent. And then there was a revelation. My coin box!! Again I rush inside.  The tens fives twos and ones were to the brim. Since I get shoulder pain with the coins weighing heavily in my hand bag it has become a habit to drop the coins in the box leaving just a few inside my bag. With the notes and the coin box I come out.

 Have you got a bag Shanmugam?

No amma but why do I need a bag?

I hand over to him the rupee notes and ask him to fill his pant pockets with the coins. Both his pockets overflowed and coins splattered all over. I pick them up and hand it to him.

Amma, amma……. were the words he could say. He was in tears.

My rich man stood there like a mendicant thanks to the handiwork of that noble man!!

I don’t know how he came as a carpenter into the organization where I was working but it was the beginning of an association worth its value in gold. Not a regular employee but he was there at our beck and call.

He was doing those occasional jobs there even after I retired

One day when he came home, he told me that he was not going there anymore.

“Why Shanmugam? They are good paymasters. You can continue.”

“Amma you remember the pongaya tree you planted near the security room? As we enter inside the cool breeze from it will welcome you. That tree had been cut down now. What you now get is the heat within and without. Gone are those days when the staff asked me if I had my lunch and take me along to the canteen with a pat at my back. Nowadays no one even look at your eyes to talk.”

I was at a loss for words!

Family planning was not Shanmugam’s forte. He would happily say that he has three girls and a boy.

“Are they all studying especially the girls? Make sure that they also study.” My tone was authoritative. At that moment my mother’s gene should have gained potency in me, the dear lady who made sure that her six daughters would go for higher education just like her four boys in spite of the conservative society wherein it was a common phenomenon to get the girls married off as quickly as possible. The man looked pained. “Amma my elder daughter had finished her MCA and got a good job in a company. The next daughter is doing her BSc computer science. Son is in the engineering college. And the little one is in tenth standard.” I was stunned and regretting my statement said “Sorry Shanmugam that I was a bit rude.” Then I told him about my mum!!

“Think I am your mother’s disciple” he said and continued

“Amma there is a generous man who gives me the money whenever I needed to meet my commitments to the children and I always repay the amount in bits and pieces which he doesn’t mind. Apart from this good-hearted man another more important factor plays a big role in my life. But for my wife I am nothing amma. She manages the house hold very thoroughly. The money we earn should be given to her and she administers the whole show. Once a week she would pull me to the Koyembedu wholesale market for the purchase of fruits vegetable and groceries where it is really cheap. Carrying the loads, we would board the bus and thank God the bus stop is closer to our house.

Every day morning she keeps glass of pomegranate juice for every one and the big bunch of bananas always hangs in the kitchen for the children to pluck. The fruits are really cheap in Koyambedu amma. Can I get you a box of pomegranate for amma? In Besant Nagar you have to pay exorbitant price?

“Don’t bother Shanmugam. You need not bring it from all the way?

“Am I going to carry it from there? Tie to the vehicle and it comes to your door step.

The conversation goes back to his wife. “She uses just the ration rice for cooking but her cooking is delicious Amma. She would pack five boxes in the morning. The children are never given any pocket money. Her argument is that the government given free bus pass is there and the food is ready. When they come in the evening there is the home-made tiffin. After their allotted work is done their job is to sit and study. But amma she is indeed a hard task master! If the work is not done to perfection, she wouldn’t mind thrashing the children including the boy. But my children never ever open their mouth! Now she has 15 sovereigns in her hand for the eldest girl and now that the elder one is earning; she would manage save for the next one!”

Thus, goes the story. Now all the three girls are well settled and now he is on the lookout for a bride to his only son.

One day he came home to tell me that the coming Sunday they are putting bangles for the youngest daughter and handing over a bag said” Amma all murukus, laddu and other items are prepared by my wife. She makes it hundreds amma!! Taste and see and you will love it.” And this was his third bag for the bangle ceremony. All the three daughters are blessed with children. These bags are for me apart from the Deepavali sweets!!

“Amma my son has to be settled soon.  He is not getting younger. I have registered his name in our associations. Once that is done, I am a free man.” He shared with me.  “Don’t worry Shanmugam. Things will happen soon.” I give him the encouraging words with fervent thoughts.

 One day as both of us were sitting in the verandah the creaky rocking chair reminded us that small renovation is needed. We bought it may be 20 years back and it needed varnishing too apart from other things. The lockdown is relaxed now we decided to call Shanmugam.

There was a lady’s voice was on the call. I said “I am madam on the line. Is Shanmugam there?” The reply from the other side was gloomy. It was his wife who said that he had been admitted at Omandurar for corona (the newly constructed as assembly building by the party which was in power then but vetoed down by the other party which is in power now and converted into specialty hospital!!) A month back when I called him to enquire about the general welfare of the household in these perilous times, he replied that the family is fine and asked about our health and told us to take care of ourselves. His wife said that there was scarcity of oxygen cylinder. My daughter in law at GH was duly informed and she made sure that it was made available to him. As Shanmugam’s wife was unable to give any details, it was his son who was in touch with my son who passed on the info to me.

“He is feeling better it seems.” I rejoiced. This good info continued.

But one day the message was that “Shanmugam has been moved to  intensive care.” I started worrying

It was an unusual for my son to call me early in the morning.

“Mum Shanmugam passed away.”

I froze.

I closed my eyes. “Dear friend, were you not telling me that you would be free after you get your son married and what was the hurry now?

“Am I not that fortunate to have a last chance to look at your face? Can I not present you with fragrant lily garland?” This corona hath indeed the audacity to wipe away life’s little nuances.

But be sure my friend that the precious friendship within would continue to be alive till the end of days.

May you rest in peace.