Our Alcoholic Servant Murugan

Murugan was the black sheep among our servants Annasaami, his wife Govindammal, their son Balakrishnan and his sister Radha. Balakrishnan married Radha’s daughter Chinnaponnu, his niece.

The boozer servant in question, Murugan, was married to Radha. Murugan was not our regular servant. He was an odd-job servant.

Our father built a big hut in the large courtyard of our house where all our servants lived.

Murugan used to drink a lot when he was off his job. Quarrels used to take place when Murugan was in an inebriated condition.

Our father had not bothered usually about the din they would make then. But our father would shout at Murugan if he had turned up for any job when drunk.

When our father wanted him to get lost and not to turn up again, he would weep like a woman. He would show his belly and say, “Vaithu mele adikade, Saami… Muduvu mele adi, Saami. (Sir, don’t hit my stomach. Hit on my back).

Our father’s heart melted down immediately. He would take pity on Murugu and deliver a long sermon to him about the evils of drinking.

Our father’s sermon would not last long. Soon he would fall into his bad ways again.

One day my father summoned him to do an errand. He was inebriated as usual. Before my father began his usual sermon about the evils of drinking, Murugal collapsed at my father’s feet. He was panting for breath. 

My father was alarmed at his health condition. He did not waste a single minute. He took out his Baby Austin car and seated him on the back seat, his mother Govindammal and wife Radha sitting beside him, weeping.

My father rushed him to the government. general hospital opposite to the Madras Central Station. My father spoke to the hepatologist there and got Murugan admitted into the hospital.

Murugan's health condition deteriorated day by day despite the best treatment being provided at the hospital.

One day an ambulance brought him home from the hospital. His kith and kin were crying inconsolably. Our father was handed over the discharge summary of the patient by Balakrishnan, Murugan’s brother-in-law, where the hepatologist said the patient in question was terminally ill and there was progressive failure of his liver due to excessive drinking. “Doctor saar, en magan pozhakka maatenaa. Asupathiri doctor sonnar (Doctor, sir, the hospital doctor said that my son will not live)," Govindammal cried.

My father sympathised with Murugan’s mother and wife. But his sympathy did not stop at formal consolation or a few rupees of money. He sat on the brittled ancient Ayurvedic textbooks, stuffed in an almirah in his study.  

The next day, he ordered Balakrishnan to dig a four-foot pit in the backyard of our house and incinerated some herbs in it. After the PUTAM was over, he treated Murugan with those Ayurvedic herbs. At the same time, he had taken care to administer the prescribed allopathic drugs too.

Two months passed by. Murugan began to put up weight. A month later he could walk briskly.

One day after his rebirth he touched my father's feet and promised that he would never touch spirits again. He kept his word. My father was very pleased with him and appointed him a full-time servant.

Annasaami, Govindammal, Balakrishnan, Chinnaponnu, Radha and Murugan served our family till my parents passed away. Their memories linger on to date.