Since 1938, buttermilk has been flowing for free on this court premises

March 18, 2024 08:34 pm | Updated 10:25 pm IST - Kozhikode

The Kozhikode district court premises witnesses a unique ritual every summer. By around 11 a.m., a man appears with a steel container full of buttermilk and sits beneath an old banyan tree to quench the thirst of lawyers. For over 15 years, D.P. Subair, a villager from Kulangara Peedika, has been part of this time-honoured practice that was initiated by a merchant’s family here in 1938.

₹1,800 a day

“It was the successful completion of an old litigation that prompted the merchant’s family to set apart a portion of their rental income to supply buttermilk to all visitors of the court during summer. The tradition was steadfastly followed as a charity initiative by the family that distributed the drink between March 1 to April 13 every year,” says T.A. Nagarajan, a 71-year-old Valayanad native who now oversees the tradition. He spends ₹1,800 a day, including the labour charges of his helper Subair, who does the job unmindful of his fasting during the Ramadan.

Nagarajan and Subair come to the spot with around 400 glasses of buttermilk every day. Usually, the container gets empty by 12.30 p.m. Though the lawyers are the main beneficiaries, the general public too can relish the drink which is spiced up with some natural ingredients from Subair’s home. Subair gets paid ₹800 daily for the task. He later leaves for his routine headload work at the Valiyangadi market. For him “it is a blessing to serve the thirsty people.”

Court’s permission

“This is the 86th year of this initiative launched by Meethalaveettil Kunhunni Chettiar. After his death, it was taken up by his brother-in-law T.V. Ramakrishna Pillai. A few years later, his son-in-law T.V. Parameswaran Pillai took up the mantle. His brother T.V. Narayanan who took care of it till very recently. I am his cousin and I took up the responsibility following his ill health two years ago,” says Mr. Nagarajan. “We apply for the court’s permission every year to continue with the tradition,” he adds.

Only steel cups are used for the distribution. Some drink even three glasses of buttermilk to escape the scorching heat and dehydration. “Many make use of the facility unaware of the history behind this selfless initiative. I have been witnessing this for over two decades,” says K.P. Sreenesh, a lawyer and one of the former secretaries of Calicut Bar Association. A major highlight is the high level of hygiene they follow to do this summer service for our people, he notes.