Pariyaram: Ninety-year-old Krishnettan has been an inevitable part of the Pariyaram Medical College, overseeing everything, from guiding the patients to the intensive care unit, turning off the electric lights and closely watching the hospital premises at night to managing everything during special occasions.

It has been 77 years since Krishnettan dedicated his life to the hospital. He doesn’t receive any salary and has been living as one among the hundreds of bystanders here.

Krishnan, a native of Kadannapally, has made the  Medical College his home. He first came to Pariyaram at 13 as a canteen worker at the TB hospital in 1984. Since then, his friends and relatives have been the staff, patients and their bystanders at the hospital.

In 1957, the government took over the TB sanatorium. In 1993, MV Raghavan started a cooperative hospital in its place. It was later taken over by the government. Krishnettan was also part of the hospital throughout these stages, witnessing it develop into one of the major healthcare institutions in Northern Kerala.

He has been staying at the hospital for the last few years. He used to bathe in the nearby temple pond in the morning; however, he stopped after slipping and falling a few months ago. Krishnettan has his meals from the hospital canteen.

“My elder brother passed away a few years ago. I have two sisters. My home was near Kadannapally Muchilot Bhagavathi temple. But, I haven’t gone there for ages. This hospital is now my home. It will remain my home until I die,” says Krishnettan.