Kollam: "In loving memory of our angel Whiskey/ Kuttapai," read the invite to the memorial ceremony held by Ezhukone native Somarajan's family for their 11‑year‑old pug, who died last Tuesday. For them, Whiskey was the fifth member of their family, the youngest child. "My brother Vyshak bought him from Ernakulam in 2014 when he was just 45 days old, and now we can't believe he is no more," Nila Somarajan said.

A memorial ceremony was held at Nila Palace, the family-owned hotel, around 8 am on Saturday. The function started with a prayer and later moved on to breakfast. "Whiskey loved food so much that we thought the best way to honour him was by sharing food with our loved ones. Our friends and family spoke about their memories of him, and it felt comforting," Nila said.

Whiskey was buried in a coffin on the hotel premises, after which a prayer ceremony was held. "He loved playing in the sand. It was his favourite spot. It felt apt for it to be his resting place," said Nila's mother, Rajitha. After 16 days of his passing, the family will offer a silver replica of him at the Pazhashini Kadavu Muthappan. 

A regular morning for Whiskey was to wake up with Somarajan, whom he was the closest to, and follow him as he got ready for the day. "Although my brother named him Whiskey, he was fondly called Kuttapai by my father. He would tag along while my father shaved and waited patiently outside the pooja room. Only once did he step inside, and after my mother told him not to, he never did it again. He would sometimes eat his breakfast, sometimes he wouldn't, but he would be the first to rush out of the house and wait in front of the car. My father used to tease me, saying Whiskey is the only one on time. Most days, he came with us to the office," Nila said.

“He never liked being alone and was always with one of us. He wouldn't eat unless we fed him. Even if it's his favourite food, he will wait for us to feed him," Rajitha said. He loved liver meat and cupcakes. "Once, while travelling, Whiskey, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly woke up the moment he caught a whiff of cupcakes," she recalled with a smile. "We took him wherever we went unless it was a long-distance journey."

On the day of his passing, Whiskey had woken up as usual. "He sometimes had wheezing trouble, and keeping him in an air‑conditioned room usually helped. That day too, I kept him on my lap and called the doctor just in case. I gave him his tablet with honey, as he liked. After a while, he ate and lay down in his bed around 2 pm. Later, he came and lay in front of the door on the carpet. He fell asleep but didn’t move around as he usually did. I grew suspicious and checked on him. He was gone," Rajitha said.

"Amma called me while I was in a meeting in Kochi and told me Kuttapai had passed away," Nila said. " Though we are heartbroken, I'm glad he didn't suffer much and passed away peacefully in his sleep. My brother could not come to see him one last time as he just returned to the US.”

"Whiskey helped us through some of the hardest times in our lives," Nila reflected. "Relatives would often say the only time they heard my father speak softly was when he spoke to Whiskey. They were closest. Sometimes my father would tell him things he wouldn't tell anybody else. At night, we'd playfully fight over who got to have Whiskey sleep near them. He truly was family," Nila said.

"One thing that saddens me is that, since my brother and I were mostly abroad for our studies, we never managed to take a family picture with Whiskey. Now we're trying to have his photo edited into one," Nila added.