Jeeves, albeit Indian

It was Somerset Maugham who observed that American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only look for in their butlers. Little wonder then that the British memsahibs of Munnar expected much of their Indian butlers. The butler of that era usually began as a domestic help and worked his way up. En route, he picked up English, good manners, cooking skills, besides an unerring ability to sense his employer’s unpredictable mood swings.

Many an aspiring but uninitiated butler had his baptism by fire under British housewives who were sticklers for perfection. If the eggs and bacon for breakfast were not properly “done” or if the beef roast was “botched”, memsahib would promptly fly off the handle. However, the stolid aspirant took all this in his stride, adapting admirably to the memsahib’s whims. He had little choice. Hence the usual façade of unflappability so typical of butlers.

Yet, many butlers developed into true professionals prized for their culinary skills. Some were versatile enough to take on tasks beyond their normal duties. Sporting a hand-me-down tweed coat or pullover, a few even chauffeured the memsahib around Munnar. In the dining room, however, the Indian butler was truly in his element — a role model much like his British counterpart, always hovering in the background at mealtime without being intrusive and anticipating the needs of each family member. And, apparently, there was mutual tolerance of each other’s foibles. As one Scottish bachelor wryly observed, “My butler and I smoke the same brand of cigars and drink the same brand of Scotch — the only difference being that I pay for both!”

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