Architect and local Joseph Chalissery, who built Innocent’s new house, shares his memories.
Innocent was the address of us Iringalakutans. My house is near his house. He entrusted me with the design of the new house out of consideration for the natives.
He decided to build a new house in 2021 when the crisis of Covid and lockdown was over. A joke that happened when I visited him for preliminary discussions is unforgettable.
He was suffering from the health problems of covid and cancer. He first made a demand.
“The house work should be completed as soon as possible. It is a human thing. There is no guarantee of time”…
Hearing that, his wife Alice stopped him: You should not say anything like that..
His counter was sudden
What do you think, I said not about me, but about you…
And then a fake smile.
***
The interiors were designed according to his desire to see most of the house from his room. The construction of the house was completed in February 2022 despite the crisis due to covid. We were sent away with gifts on the milking day. Due to the time of covid, the milking that called all the movie stars did not take place. Only close relatives and locals were there that day. Later, stars including Mammootty and Mohanlal came.
Perhaps because he had lived through poverty in his youth, he had a fondness for new houses. When the house he built in Iringalakuda was more than ten years old, the new house was built. All the houses were named after the first house he built – ‘Parpitam’.
He lived here for the last one year. Now that he is leaving, we locals fill a void as if we have lost our address.
English Summary- Innocent New House- Architect Memoirs about His Humour
