"Mittai Achappan"
This memologue dates back to sometime arround 1985-86 period. Ya i was hardly around 4 to 5 years old then. We used to leave in my father's family house at chepanool, a small agricultural village in kannur, kerala. Our house was next to the green fields and was surrounded by green, green, and green.
There was a small passage in front of our house, through which most of the villagers pass by. They have to catch this passage to go to the local tea or grocery shop. There was this old man, somewhere of the age 70-75 years old. He had made a habit of going to the tea shop every evening. He used to have a stick which helped him in walking as his back was fully bend because of his old age. Every evening after having tea from the shop, he used to buy a toffee or two just to give me. I dont know what i was for this old man. But i just remember that i used to be really happy seeing him every evening. I used to wait for him to come near the passage. I used to call him "mittai achappan" which means sweet grandfather in malayalam. Till the day we shifted ourself to the new house near to the town in 1986, he maintained this habit. But after that i rarely saw him.
Last year augest i happened to meet him, he had turned pretty weak and was unable to walk properly, ya he was somewhere near to 95 years of age now. I even went to talk to him, but he coundn't rememeber me. How could he, i have grown, i am still not the same 4 years old kid who used to wait for him for a toffee. and even he have become old.
On 10th march, when i called home, mom gave me the sad news of mittai achappan's death. I have only one regret, that i could pay back the love he had showed to me. Surprizing fact is that I dont know his real name still. For me he is my old dear mittai achappan for ever.
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