Regulars flock shut ICH to see off ‘chettan’

Thiruvananthapuram: For more than two decades, he brewed aromatic coffee and cooked beetroot masala with the same flair that always pleased the devoted customers of Indian Coffee House at Spencer Junction here.
For S Sreekumaran Nair, who retired as the cook in chief from ICH on Monday, it wasn’t an ideal way to mark the end of his association with ICH.
The coffee house at Spencer Junction had remained shut for a year and he would have wanted to bid farewell after putting in a good day’s work, just like he had done for more than a decade. His colleagues and frequent customers did not let him down, nevertheless.
They arranged a farewell party for him and Nair was visibly emotional.
“I always wanted to work till the last day of my career at this Coffee House. Unfortunately it didn’t happen. But as I had wished, my colleagues fulfilled my all-time dream by arranging this memorable send-off party in front of my regular customers, family and friends. I really want to see the reopening and smooth functioning of the coffee house,” said Nair.
The coffee house employees honoured their ‘Sreekumaran Chettan’ for 23 years of valuable service with a ‘ponnada’, a cheque of Rs 85,000 and a gold chain.
“Sreekumaran Nair is someone who should be admired for his character. He is a true inspiration for the new-generation members of ICH family,” said Sreekumar Nair K S, manager in charge of ICH.
As part of the function, senior and retired cooks and ICH employees were felicitated.
The high court of Kerala has appointed an advocate commission following a petition filed by ICH against the food safety department order to shut it down. The commission, which visited the coffee house last week, is expected to submit the report as soon as the court reopens after vacation.