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When bank officials asked him how he would survive considering his financial situation, the man responded that he had a job along with access to the differently-abled monthly pension of the state government. (Photo: MediaOne screen grab) A differently-abled beedi worker in Kerala’s Kannur district has become the epitome of benevolence and humanity after he donated almost his entire life’s savings to the chief minister’s disaster relief fund (CMDRF) to bankroll vaccines for those who couldn’t afford it.
The man, who rolls beedis for a living and is deaf in both ears, reached the local branch of his bank last week with the intention of donating Rs 2 lakhs out of his savings account to the CMDRF, leaving just Rs 850 in his account. When bank officials asked him how he would survive considering his financial situation, the man responded that he had a job along with access to the differently-abled monthly pension of the state government. He said his life’s savings was not bigger than saving the lives of his brothers and sisters in the state. A Facebook post of a bank official, detailing the benevolent act without identifying the man as per his request, led many to search for him.
The man was identified this week by local television network MediaOne as Janardhanan, a native of Kuruva in Kannur district.
“When I heard in the news on TV that the vaccine would be sold to the state at Rs 400/dose in turn becoming a major burden for the state government, I knew that I couldn’t stand and watch. That night, I couldn’t sleep. The next day, I went to the bank. I felt relieved only after donating the money,” Janardhanan told MediaOne.
“What’s the use of accumulating so much money? People’s lives are bigger. Only when there’s life can there be an administration and a system.”
Janardhanan, who has been rolling beedis since he was 13, is survived by his two daughters and their families. His wife died last year. He said he wished to live a ‘solitary life with privacy’ and hence did not want anyone to know about his act of charity.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan, at a press briefing, lauded Janardhanan’s act without taking his name, saying it underlines the emotions of the state’s people.
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