Kannur: How much money does one need a month? For Janardhanan, a beedi worker here Rs 600 is enough to see him through. He didn't think twice to donate his entire life saving to fund Kerala government's drive to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
Janardhanan made the contribution following a call by the chief minister for donations to procure COVID-19 vaccines. The donation was from the amount he had received on retirement, and his wife’s investment.
Janardhanan’s noble gesture had come to light through the Facebook page of an employee of Kerala Bank’s Kannur branch, where the beedi worker has an account. The man had donated Rs 2 lakh of his savings, leaving just Rs 850 in his account. The Facebook post, however, did not reveal his identity, since he had preferred anonymity. Janardhanan had then told the employee, who initially hesitated to transfer the amount as requested, that he could not sleep unless the donation was made.
“The memories of my late wife Rajani made me donate my life savings to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF),” Janardhanan said. He has been moody after losing his wife a year ago.
“I saw in the news that the vaccine, which was till then free, would henceforth be sold for a huge price. After going to bed, I remembered about the savings account. I knew there was significant money though I couldn’t recall the exact amount. I couldn’t sleep that night. The next day, I reached the bank around 11am. The employees tried to discourage me, but they relented after I stood my ground. I returned and had a good sleep,” Janardhanan, father of Navana and Naveena, said.
The man said he was elated to hear the chief minister mentioning him at a routine news conference a day after the donation was made. Still, he remained anonymous.
“Many heartwarming stories are coming up about donations to the CMDRF, including that of an elderly man who donated 2L from his savings bank account which had Rs 200,850 in it. ...,” the chief minister later tweeted.
He had been remaining anonymous till the media caught up with him at his residence on Monday. Janardhanan, who had retired from Kerala Dinesh Beedi Workers’ Cooperative Society, was busy rolling beedies on the verandah of his house when journalists found him. A radio belted out songs from a corner.
Once his identity was revealed, several people met Janardhanan in person to appreciate his gesture. CPM's Kannur district committee secretary M V Jayarajan and the district manager of Dinesh Beedi Cooperative K Leena were among the visitors.
