Chandy

To answer what Ann asks in her comment, my father recovered fully and went back to work as an engineer in the Travancore Government. He retired and gave all his attention to looking after his cardamom estate in the hills near Kumily. He built a beautiful cottage in the hills and all his children and grandchildren had a lovely time there, where everybody played chess and badminton and went for long walks.
My father lived up to the age of 97. My mother passed away at the age of 63, when my father was 68. Even after my mother’s death, he continued to stay in his house in Nedungadapally. My children and I went to stay with him during the children’s holidays and he kept us entertained teaching chess, table tennis, badminton and various games.
After he was 80, he left for Trivandrum to stay with one of his sons and family. At that time he designed and constructed my house in Trivandrum. Later, he supervised construction of my sister’s house, which was built opposite mine.
He later moved to Coimbatore—maybe when he was almost 90—to my eldest brother’s house, where he organised bridge evenings roping in his sons (2 in Coimbatore then), daughters-in-law and friends. He was a great man.
This is a picture of my father when he was about 85 maybe.