: When Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in the last week of September, G. Kumar (38), an admirer of the AIADMK supremo, was upset for more reasons than one. As crowds started thronging the hospital, police made sure the autorickshaw stand outside the hospital gate was relocated for security reasons, and with that, Sukumar was forced to go home with his vehicle.
On Friday, he was back: with two AIADMK-green flexboards attached to the right and back of his autorickshaw, Sukumar has started offering free rides to Apollo patients. He says two reasons motivated him: “This is my way of thanking Amma and praying for her recovery. Also, I saw that patients were being inconvenienced because of lack of autorickshaws,” he said.
While Apollo, using battery-operated vehicles, runs a pick-up-and-drop service to cover the 300 metres from Greams Road, Sukumar drops patients all the way to their places of stay. “Most patients here are from out of the State. They were very grateful when they found they did not have to walk to the main road,” said Sukumar. He is distracted when the cameras come out: “I am probably losing the opportunity to help a patient right now.”
Sukumar lives in Ambedkar Nagar located behind the hospital. “I have been on a fast since yesterday and will not eat till I am done with this service today,” he said. Sukumar plans to offer his free rides till CM Jayalalithaa is discharged from the hospital; his strategy is to fill petrol worth Rs. 500 every day and offer commutes till the fuel runs out.
Sukumar credits Jayalalithaa with a lot of good things in his life without explaining how they came to be.
“She is the reason I got better. You go and ask my neighbours: I used to be an alcoholic. I got this autorickshaw and I earn a living for myself,” he said and added that his family offers daily prayers for the Chief Minister.
