THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At 95, K Madhavan Nair carries a lifetime of democratic participation with quiet pride. A retired schoolteacher, he has never missed an election since the early years after independence.
For decades now, his polling destination has remained unchanged, Jagathy Government High School. Despite mobility issues and fading eyesight, Nair chose to forgo the option of home voting.
“The feeling of coming to the polling booth to cast my vote is entirely different,” he says. Accompanied by his son, M R Nair, he needed assistance only up to the booth entrance and managed the rest independently.
For Nair, voting is both duty and privilege. He weighs his choices carefully, placing development above all else, when selecting a candidate. He reads newspapers using a magnifying lens, follows TV news closely, and remains keenly aware of current affairs.