For 43 years, this family serves Onam at mental hospital

Kozhikode: Three generations follow a custom introduced by their forefather and feel blessed every Onam, when they continue serving the grand feast for the inmates of Government Mental Health Centre, Kuthiravattam, Kozhikode. This is the 43rd straight year the family of late A.P. Balakrishna Pillai, a jeweller here, is serving Onasadya for inmates, bystanders and the staff of the centre.

For the last two years, they could not enter inside the centre and personally serve the food, due to security reasons. However, they continued to bring the food with the whole family and spend time, ensuring that the feast reached everyone out there.

“There is a huge difference between the mental health centre decades ago and what it is now. Today, more and more charity organisations and individuals are concentrating on Kuthiravattom, and they are getting the support of the district administration as well. It was not the case before.

Being somebody living close to the centre and knowing its shortcomings, my grandfather stepped in to help support the inmates, with family,” said A.P. Karthik, Mr Pillai’s grandson.

Mr Pillai’s sons A.P. Krishna Kumar and A.P. Sai Narayanan continued the tradition, along with their families and now, their grandchildren are also joining them at the centre in serving food. On Tuesday, sadya for 550 people were brought to the centre.

The centre's superintendent Dr N. Rajendran said that the initiative by the family was a model for others also.

“It is a marvellous idea to continue such a gesture for such an extended period. They had been doing it from a time when the centre was in shambles, and not many were bothering about it. Now the condition has slightly improved, and more people are coming forward to donate to the mentally-ill and their bystanders, who miss the colours of Onam and other celebrations,” he said.