MB#78: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙉𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙐𝙣𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙣.
- www.suryanarayana.com
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
[MemoirBlogthon #78] Our part-time servant, Ramanadham, was honest, diligent, and indispensable, even staying in our government quarters outhouse. But when my mother's black-beaded gold necklace vanished before a function, suspicion quickly fell on him. The case against him was fueled by rumors, a failed test with an Rs. 10 note, and a terrifying prediction from an astrologer using an oil lamp. Though he fiercely maintained his innocence, he was driven away by the police threat. The final discovery—the rats had dragged the necklace into a steel cabinet—proved his innocence, but not before my father’s baseless doubt cost Ramanadham his livelihood and dignity. The subsequent apology, offered years later in Hyderabad, became our family's most painful lesson in integrity: never doubt a poor person's character without proof.
The Diligent Helper and the Missing Ornament 💍
In our childhood, we had a diligent young servant named Ramanadham. Though not a government employee, he was known for his competency and honesty, working on a part-time basis for several government officers in Vijayawada, specializing in making home sweets, cleaning, and complex kitchen shopping. Due to his trustworthiness, my father permitted Ramanadham, a bachelor, to stay in the outhouse of our government quarters. Ramanadham rendered invaluable assistance to my mother, even cooking non-vegetarian food for himself and for our dog, Jikki.
One evening, my parents were preparing to attend a function. My mother searched hectically for her 'black beads studded gold necklace,' a piece she always wore for important occasions, but it was nowhere to be found. Though my father suggested searching upon their return, my mother went out without the ornament for the first time, leading many guests at the event to inquire about its absence.
Rumors, Rats, and the Rs. 10 Test 🐀
The next day, a thorough search of the house yielded nothing. Immediately, the other regular servants and office staff began to voice their apprehension that Ramanadham had stolen the necklace, substantiating their claims by narrating his movements in the house. My father, regrettably, allowed his doubt to creep in.
The staff, with my father’s permission, decided to test Ramanadham's integrity. They deliberately left an Rs. 10 currency note on the floor just before he entered the living room. Ramanadham cleaned the room, but when we checked later, the note had disappeared. The collective doubts doubled, pointing fiercely toward Ramanadham as the culprit.
The Astrologer's False Verdict 🔮
The fear and suspicion escalated. One of the peons requested permission from my father to take my younger brother, Vijay, and me to an astrologer in the city. The belief was that we, as children, would be able to see the thief's image in a large oil lamp used for such investigations.
My father allowed it. After performing a pooja and breaking ten coconuts, the astrologer asked us if we saw a thief in the lamp. Hesitantly, we both nodded, confirming that a person in a black dress covering his head was moving within the oil. When the astrologer asked who typically wore a black dress, we immediately and incorrectly identified Ramanadham. The astrologer confirmed his "prediction," warned us that Ramanadham was planning a bigger robbery, and collected his fee.
My father immediately called Ramanadham, ordered him to return the chain, and threatened to lodge a police complaint. Ramanadham, with tears streaming down his face, vehemently denied the theft, but, unable to bear the insult of being branded a thief after two years of honest work, he left the place immediately, relocating altogether to Hyderabad without even collecting his monthly pay dues.
The Painful Truth and the Apology 🙏
Months later, the painful truth was revealed. My mother found the missing jewelry in the lower portion of the steel cupboard (almirah), lying alongside a piece of dry bread. Rats, active in the house, had dragged and hidden the chain, she immediately realized.
The item was found, but we had lost the services of an innocent man. My father concluded that the rats, not Ramanadham, likely took the testing currency note. I concluded that others had singled out Ramanadham, a weak and impoverished bachelor, merely to shield themselves from suspicion.
Learning that Ramanadham had a full-time job in Hyderabad, my father made a determined effort to summon Ramanadham during one of his official camps there. He extended a heartfelt apology, provided the unpaid monthly salary, and proposed an additional sum to ease his mental distress. Ramanadham came, met my father, and appreciated the acknowledgment of his innocence, but he refused to take any money, still in shock from being stamped as a thief by his respected employer.
While my father was explaining this outcome, tears rolled down my eyes. We had doubted, insulted, and made an honest man jobless. The moral lesson my father impressed upon us was unforgettable: "Never doubt and stamp a person's character unless proof is available. Pointing out a weak and poor person is easy, but supporting facts is difficult." The final realization—that "face is not always index"—came to my mind, marking this incident as a permanent lesson in justice and humility.
MB#78: Quiz
MB78 Question: What was the reason the author's mother initially attributed the loss of the necklace to after finding it?
A. It was mistakenly packed in luggage.
B. It was simply misplaced in a drawer.
C. It was dragged by rats.
D. Another servant had briefly borrowed it.
MB#78: Quote
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