Nellai Avudaiappan

The Muser started his career in a Chemical Company and shared a hall accommodation with Md.Mehrudeen, Avudaiappan and Ananth. Actually, the shared accommodation was allotted to a shift foreman, who kept the only-room to himself allowed us to share the hall. We mentally demarcated the space equally and stowed our meager possessions, such as a suitcase and bedding.

The Company was running 3 X 8 hour shifts. This is how it worked; a person starting in 0600 to 1400 hr shift does so for six days continuously and gets off (holiday) on the seventh day of the week. This off could fall on any one of the days of the week, depending on when the shift started/ended. The coming week the employee comes in the night shift (2200 to 0600 hr) for the next six days.

This transition of shifts was eagerly awaited by all the shift goers – it gave them about 56 hrs of free time called long-off (this is different from the fielding setting in cricket).

We traveled overnight to reach our houses, so as to enjoy 30 to 40 hours of good food, not to mention the company of friends back at home.

Amongst the four of us, only Avudaiappan had to travel a little longer to reach Thirunelveli. The other three used to eagerly await his return, after the long-off. There lay the plot for this narration.

Having lost her husband, Avudaiappan’s mother showered little more affection on him-being the youngest. She used pack about 3 kg of sweets, consisting of Nellai special “halwa” and other homemade varieties. Probably Avudaiappan had told his mother about the three more eager mouths which would be watering in anticipation. She used pack the sweets in a dried palmyrah–leaf basket and send her son off.

Muser craved for sweets, like Tom Sawyer “he did not ask for more”, probably feeling shy, yet the bud-teasing taste of sweets worked stronger than his will power. Not able to keep his urge in check, at the stroke of midnight, he searched for the sweet basket, opened the lid of the basket as humanly gently possible. He took out three slabs of sweet and then proceeded to relish them one by one. His taste buds as well as heart were already soaring. When he was into the third piece, the hall light turned on suddenly. His three friends, probably woken up by the gentlest of sound made when the basket was opened, stood looking at him in wonder. Then they burst in to a hearty laugh and did not stop till their eyes started watering.

Muser stood before them, caught red handed and shamed. For days together the three friends used to gang up to tease the muser and laughed to their hearts content. They nick named the muser as “Sweet Owl” and “Night Raider”. Avudaiappan chose to call the muser as “the Sweet Rat”. Gentleman that he was, he started to bring in a special packet for muser every time he went home for long-off!

Years later, whenever the Muser visited ‘the old Company’ for material-inspection, he always met up with Avudaiappan and his wife. On one such occasion, Avudaiappan fondly recollected the Sweet Rat incident. His wife appeared perplexed (as she was not aware of this incident) when both me & Avudaiappan laughed it out.