Appachi the real women

People live selflessly in different ways. She was there, with us, in the family when I was born, when my siblingswere born and also when our children were born; she was there with usthrough the vicissitudes of life for over 50 years, when our parents anda few others passed away, when we got married and when some of ourchildren got married,and in almost all family functions, when we went onpilgrimage or almost wherever we went.She helped our parents to bring usup and helped us to bring up our children.. Her habits were clean, herhands cleaner with the result that the house always remained unlockedwhen she was at home and never had we to regret on that count.Shequarreled some time with us, collected her cloth bundle and walked away,vowing that she would never step into our house again, only to returnbefore the next meal time for the kids. Father used to shout at her andthreaten to throw her out, but in the next five minutes he could be seenpleading for a tobacco bit from her. "She behaves like a mother-in-law"the daughters -in-law of the house used to complain to their husbandsbut used to rush to her for her advice if their kids sneeze more thanonce or wet their garment more than twice. All the children in thefamily loved,respected and treated her as they would treat their motheror grand mother as they all were aware of the role played by her innourishing and nursing them up with unalloyed affection and undilutedcare.. She served our family for several years with the faith andsincerity of a dog and died like a sanyasini leaving only lovablememories behind her.
She was Appachi.She had no clue as where exactly she was born and when, or who herparents were, though her foster mother told her that someone located hernear a grove in Kodaimalai in Nilgiri gardens.She grew along with thefoster mother's only son, Yellakki and brought him up as her ownbrother,after the boy's mother passed away .Yellakki did no know thattheir origin was different."I would have been then sixteen, seventeen or even twenty, when I cameto the city " She used to say.She worked as a servant maid here and there and Yellakki worked as ahelper, a broker, a supporting actor in cine field and all suchthings.The absence of parental love combined with poverty and hardshipled him to lead a reckless life and he never worried about his sisternor about his own self.