KOCHI: Lathika Kumari P, a temporary worker at the Kochi Corporation’s Edappally zonal office in Anjumana turned 70 on Thursday. To honour 42 years of service she has offered, her colleagues, including the Mayor and councillor, celebrated her birthday at the office. She has only one mantra in life — to be active and not be a burden to anyone.
Born in 1952 in Ernakulam North, she shifted to Ponekkara when she was 13. Lathika entered service at the zonal office in 1980, documenting building fees and bill income records. After completing Class 10, she was introduced to the job by her aunt P Thankam, who was a clerk in the corporation and later retired as revenue inspector. The office was earlier situated in front of Changampuzha library and later shifted to Anjumana, and she served in both the offices.
Lathika lives with her sister Pushpa Kumari and her family in Ponekkara. She had been travelling by bus to work, but after she fell from a bus many years ago, she started taking autorickshaws to work.
Now, though the meagre income from writing applications and bills barely pays for her travel, she prefers to come to work every day.
After digitisation, the number of written applications and bills have reduced. Lathika’s workload and income have also come down with this, but she prefers to be active at this age, said councillor
Deepa Varma.
