MADURAI: When Mohan from Melamadai woke up on Sunday, he was not having any clue of the ‘surprise of his life’ that would come calling later that day. And, when his name featured in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation in the monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’, his joy knew no bounds. An ecstatic Mohan still has his doubts. “How the word on his service came to the knowledge of the Prime Minister?” he asks.
Mohan has been spending his lifetime savings of Rs 5 lakh, saved for his daughter M Nethra’s education, for helping the poor residents of his locality ever since the start of the lockdown.The PM in his address said, “There are innumerable people who are willing to give everything they have for serving others. One such gentleman is C Mohan of Tamil Nadu. Mohan runs a salon in Madurai. Through sheer hard work, he had saved Rs 5 lakh for his daughter’s education. But he spent the entire amount for serving the needy and the underprivileged in these difficult times.”
Meanwhile, an ecstatic Mohan has his daughter, studying in eighth grade, to thank for, as it was she who urged him to serve the needy.A native of Ramanathapuram, Mohan settled in Madurai and opened a salon 20 years ago. “I earn around Rs 1,500 a day of which Rs 600 would be my profit. I saved every penny I could to provide good education to my daughter, who aspires to become an IAS officer,” he said.