3. The Residents

In August 2010, I visited Santhinikethanam and interviewed the residents - all elderly destitute women, either without families or abandoned by them. Most of the women spoke in Malayalam, some in a mixture of Malayalam and Tamil. Sri. Sivakumar acted as interpreter. Gently encouraged by Sister Razia Bhanu, they shared their stories one by one, some shy and hesitant at first, but gradually opening up.


Some accounts were sad and heart-rending - recalling entire lifetimes spent as maids serving multiple generations of a family or as menial workers, earning pittances while working long, hard hours, with hardly any savings to speak of, and eventually cast out by their employers when they were too old or unfit to work any more.


Some stories were confused ramblings, incoherent pieces from here and there, old memories mixed up with more recent ones, eyes filling up with tears at recalling long-forgotten names and places, family members who had deserted them, but who they - inexplicably - still missed and longed to see again.


As I listened, I found myself wondering if the hazy memories of these senior citizens could be trusted for accuracy. But the undeniable common thread running across the stories was the fact that all of them - without exception - had been abandoned by their families or their erstwhile employers, left alone to fend for themselves, before they were brought to Sister Razia.


These are the residents of Santhinikethanam and their stories in brief.


1) Thangamma @ Dhanalakshmi, 75, Kannur:

Thangamma @ Dhanalakshmi, 75, Kannur

At the age of 7, when most other children would be in school, Thangamma became a full-time maid looking after the children of a Government employee living in the Railway Colony. For as long as she can recall, Thangamma lived with her employers, never drawing a salary; being compensated only with meals and accommodation in return for her work with the family. At some point over the years, Thangamma was no longer able to work, fell ill with pneumonia and was admitted to the Palakkad District Hospital. Her employers did not return to claim her, and she continued to stay on in the hospital, at times with sympathetic doctors or nurses. Thangamma was brought to Santhinikethanam by a retired nurse in September 2006, when she became one of the home's first residents. Thangamma has no relatives that she knows of.

Medical Conditions: Rheumatic Arthritis, TB, Asthma

2) Parukutty, 75, Kalpathy

Parukutty, 75, Kalpathy

Parukutty's husband was a vegetable vendor who drank himself to an early death. Parukutty moved in to live with another single lady in Kalpathy village. Parukutty has 2 daughters, the younger one a municipal councillor, the elder daughter, well off, and staying in Chandranagar with her family. Parukutty has not seen both daughters in decades. The lady that Parukutty was staying with, concerned for their safety, brought her to Santhinikethanam in November 2008. 

Medical Conditions: Psychiatric problems, High Blood Pressure, High Blood Sugar

3) Thangamma @ Music-Amma, 80, Kalpathy

Thangamma @ Music-Amma, 80, Kalpathy

This Thangamma is also affectionately called "Music-Amma", having taught Carnatic classical vocal music to the children of Kalpathy village for several decades. Thangamma's husband deserted her many years ago and with no children of her own, she lived with her mother and 2 brothers. When her mother and brothers passed on, she stayed alone, getting occasional help from the village temple. Casting her mind back to happier days in her childhood, Thangamma recalls her father being the chief chemist in a cement factory. None of her 4 brothers survive today. Thangamma was admitted to Santhinikethanam in September 2009.


When I visited Santhinikethanam on an August evening in 2010, Music-Amma was leading the group in a bhajan session.

Medical Conditions: High blood pressure, High blood sugar, Slightly hard of hearing.

4) Vesuamma, 75, Kuthannur

Vesuamma, 75, Kuthannur

Vesuamma has spent all her life as a sweeper in a pawnshop. Several years ago she happened to fracture her right hand. Having received no proper medical treatment for the fracture at the time, Vesuamma has now lost the use of her right arm entirely. She was eventually let go by her employer. With no husband or children of her own, she was looked after by some kind-hearted neighbours. She was brought to Santhinikethanam by her sister's son in January 2009.


Medical Conditions: Cataract in both eyes, fractured right hand, now permanently disabled. 

5) Thatthamma, 60, Vadakkanchery

Thatthamma, 60, Vadakkanchery

Thathamma never married, and worked for several years as a maid in many households and even on a farm. Her brother, who she was living with, eventually expelled her from his home and the local postman brought her to Sister Razia. Thathamma was admitted to Santhinikethanam in September 2009. 


Medical Conditions: Psychiatric issues, leucoderma

6) Janakiamma, 80+, Kollangode

Janakiamma, 80+, Kollangode

Janakiamma has a son and a daughter. Her son, who she was living with for some years, expelled her and she went to live with her brother. After her brother's death, Janakiamma was brought to Santhinikethanam in January 2007 by a gentleman named Madhavan. We learnt during the interview that Janakiamma's children have visited her in Santhinikethanam just once ... and attempted during the visit to get  her to transfer the deed for a small piece of ancestral farm land that she owns in Vattekkad near Kollangode.


Medical Conditions: High blood pressure

7) Parukutty Amma, 75+, Kuthannur

Parukutty Amma, 75+, Kuthannur

Orphaned at an early age, Parukutty Amma was in the care of her uncle. She was married to a surveyor who was also an alcoholic. She recalled how he would take away even her meagre income earned as a housemaid to feed his alcoholism, often turning up at her workplace and creating scenes. He eventually deserted her while they were in Coimbatore. Parukutty had 3 or 4 children; all but one died of malnutrition. The whereabouts of her surviving child are unknown. A kind-hearted elderly couple from her home village of Kuthannur took her in and brought her to Santhinikethanam in November 2008.


Medical Conditions: Heart Patient (2 heart attacks), High blood pressure, High blood sugar

8) 'Bombay' Janaki, 60+, Vallikode

'Bombay' Janaki, 60+, Vallikode

Never married, Janaki worked as a housemaid in Bombay for 36 years before she was sacked when no longer fit to work. She recalls sending a big portion of her wages during her years in Bombay to her Tharavaad (ancestral home) in Vallikode. Her brother who lives in Vallikode does not care for her anymore. Janaki has a younger sister in Coimbatore.


Medical Conditions: High blood pressure, overweight, polio (contracted in childhood)

9) Meenakshi, 75, Palakkad

Meenakshi, 75, Palakkad

Meenakshi was from a well-off family with an ancestral house and fields. However, her husband and only son both died. Her brothers sold off her house and brought her to be admitted to Santhinikethanam in July 2010. Meenakshi wept often during the interview, and while her story was disjointed, she appeared to be deeply agonized over what had transpired in her life.


Medical Conditions: Dementia, Psychiatric Problems (on medication), Uterus prolapse