CHENNAI: For The New Indian Express’s senior designer Shiva Shankar Subramani, a recent quick getaway to Mahabalipuram turned into a nightmare in a couple of hours. A call from work made the 38-year-old rush back to the city. But losing his wallet in the chaos was something he wasn’t prepared for. “It was an extremely hot day. I wanted to quickly quench my thirst before heading to the city. In a rush, I left the juice shop without keeping the wallet back in my pocket. After reaching office I realised that I had lost my wallet,” says Shiva.
Shiva’s heart sank. The wallet contained cash, his bank card and all of his original identification cards, including PAN and Aadhar. “If I had to apply for new PAN and Aadhar cards, I would have to travel to Pune and Ahmedabad. I was worried. But that’s when the unexpected happened,” he says.
Shiva was left surprised when he received a call on the office landline from S Senthil. “He said he had found my wallet. When I told him that I won’t be able to collect it from Mahabalipuram, he offered to drop in at work and hand it over to me,” he says, smiling at S Senthil, seated in the TNIE office in Ambattur, Chennai.
Despite travelling 50-odd kilometres on a weekday in the scorching heat, Senthil has a pleasant smile. “I found his office ID in the wallet and called him up. After three to four calls, I connected with the receptionist and she put me in touch with him. I have returned lost phones and wallets to the locals before. But this is the first time I travelled a long distance to return something,” laughs the Good Samaritan.
The duo bonds, chats and even poses for a few photographs. When asked if this association will continue, Shiva smiles, “I am eternally grateful to him.”
“I am sure this will turn into a very good friendship,” says Senthil.