By Chinnaa
“Thamizh, from next month onwards the rent is three thousand rupees”
“Mudaliar, you raised it just three months back only”
“If you can’t afford, you can vacate. People from IT companies are ready to pay five thousand rent with fifty thousand advance”
“What about our relationship so far?”
“It is there. But don’t link it with business”
“Why don’t you have tea with us as usual?”
“No thanks, I had it already”
Without waiting for an answer, Kuppusamy Mudaliar, the house owner of ‘Lakshmi Illams’, left. There were six houses in the premises which come under Athipet main road, near Ambattur telephone exchange. All were rented for company workers of left out units at Ambattur Industrial estate. They were workers of monthly earnings.
When many industrial units at Ambattur Industial estate were abandoned and discarded by owners in collision with Tamil Nadu government because of its pro-capitalist approach after globalization, some of the units still managed with some contract works.
In one such survived lathe unit, Sri Venkateswara Engineering Works at No.5, Vellala Street, and Thamizhchelvan was working for the past fifteen years.
He has been also living at No 3/6 ‘Lakshmi Illams’ for the past twelve years. His relationship with Ambattur and Kuppusamy Mudaliar was fifteen years old. Ramasamy Mudaliar, the owner of Sri Venkateswara Engineering Works, was the brother-in-law of Kuppusamy Mudaliar, the house owner.
It was really a bolt from the blue. Thamizhchelvan was a disturbed man to day. He was in a dilemma whether to remain in or to move out of Chennai. But his love for the city could not be faulted or doubted. It was as pure as twenty two carrot gold. He did not doubt Chennai and its love towards him as well as it did not doubt him.
Chennai was and has been very kind to Thamizhchelvan and his family since his teenage days. He has been living and working in Chennai for the past twenty years witnessing happy as well as disappointing moments of life. It has shown him the ups and downs of city life. It has taught him many things in life. It has taken him to five star hotels as well as to slum dwellings. It has also taught him to treat both the situations equally.
Chennai only had given them, himself and his wife Annakili, their dear children Poongodi and Veeran. Both of them were studying in Thiruppananthal, daughter in tenth class and son in third. They were staying with their grand-parents. Since parents of Tahmizhchelvan and Annakili were close relatives, they wanted their grand children with them.
‘What a beautiful to place to live in! Chennai you can never be forgotten and forsaken.’
Even it helped him last year when he was supposed to loose his rented house in Chennai and to go to his native village Thiruppananthal, near Kumbakonam after a very high rise in rent and prices of essential commodities. It gave him the required confidence so that he could meet the challenge and get back to his rented house as well as work as usual.
‘Even the present crisis will be solved with the help of my love for Chennai’, Thamizhchelvan has been thinking positively. ‘But what is it in store for him?’ was the million dollar question haunting his mind these days.
“Why are you so bothered about leaving this place Mama?” Annakili made her mind clear,
‘‘when this Chennai is harsh on you with its globalised look and characteristics”
“Wait Annam, we shouldn’t decide in a moment of frustration and disappointment. Let us wait for the time to solve this crisis”
“No Mama, I am talking consciously and for the betterment of our family. We had enough and it is time we leave Chennai”. Without waiting for her Mama, she went into kitchen. She was to
prepare tiffin and lunch.
Thamizhchelvan had not seen Annakili in such a desperate mood. From the day of her marriage with him, she was adjusting with the realities of Chennai, though she was a village girl with a lot of priorities set on the village life. But for her Mama she would not have ventured into Chennai.
More than anything else he was her Mama, brother of her mother Kanniamma. He was both husband and uncle bundled into one. She came to Chennai reluctantly. But with Thamizh chelvan on her side, everything and anything were possible and Annakili coped up with the harder situations of life in Chennai. It has also become the favorite of Annakili. When Thamizhchelvan knew that she had started loving Chennai, he was very happy and even started giving presents whenever possible.
As he cycled down to the company, he decided to stay on in Chennai whatever was going to happen. He thought he may take up some odd jobs to manage the rent. He can also get some provisions from his village and manage. His love for Chennai made him a determined man.
When he approached the company, he saw his co-workers standing outside with the ‘lay-off’ board greeting them.
“Since the company is going at a loss the owner is going to sell it. The first step is this lay-off and then it will be compensation package”
“No notice at all”
“What about Union?”
“ Ssss “
“In this era of globalization, labour laws are in favour of management and hence we will have to get whatever is offered and look for alternatives”
“No, no the owner gave us life for the past so many years. Now he is in trouble. We should understand him”
Without knowing the fact that Ramasamy Mudaliar has already sold the premises to Pan Asian Ideal Solutions, a BPO company for a hefty price, these workers including Thamizhchelvan were returning to their houses.
Tamizhchelvan was cycling back to his house. His mind was roaming around with the thoughts of company lay-off, increased rent, Annakili’s interest in going back to the village, and his subsequent employment in Chennai.
Still the love for Chennai was foremost in his mind. It was haunting him continuously.
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