THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Most people don’t mind donating money to a good cause. But only a few would be willing to give away almost all their savings in charity. A beedi worker from Kannur, whose identity is yet to be revealed, has provided a flicker of hope in this depressing spell of darkness as he donated Rs 2 lakh from his total saving of Rs 2,00,850 to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund taking part in the vaccine challenge.
The bank staff said they were surprised when the man asked to transfer Rs 2 lakh from his account to the CMDRF. Because, after the transaction, the balance would be just Rs 850. An officer asked the man how he would find money for a need that may arise in future. “His reply humbled us. He said his beedi job would fetch him Rs 1,000 a week. Also that he was getting a disability pension,” the officer recalls. The officer had a chat with the man. “It seemed to me that he did not have a sound financial background,” he said.
CM praises him over gesture
"I suggested to him to send Rs 1 lakh first and the rest later. But he was adamant and wanted it all at once. He said his decision was firm and the inspiration was the CM’s public appeal,” the officer recalled. The man also wanted an assurance from the officer. That his name would not be publicised. CM Pinarayi Vijayan had a word of praise for the worker. “The man said his money was not bigger than the life of his fellow beings. Several such donations are being received,” the CM said in his evening media briefing.