Chellam sir of Munnar


Meet Subramani, the owner of a tea stall in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense forest for kilometres on end, there is just a bus stop along the ghat road and this tea stall. One must get down at this bus stop and walk 2 km into the forest to reach nearby villages or resorts.

He's like Chellam sir from the Family Man series - if you need information about local transport, accommodation, or anything else, Subramani is your man. You just need to ask and he was like "oru nimasham thambi" and he's on the phone, making things happen in no time.

The day I was leaving I found his stall torn to pieces. Locals said an elephant emerged from the jungle and destroyed the tea stall overnight. Locals started to help and I am sure he will rebuild his shop and start again.

When asked how he was doing, Subramani simply replied "Ellām cariyāki viṭum thambi" (everything will be fine) with that same infectious smile.




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