The abandoned 90-year-old man, who was rescued by Mayor E. Bhuvaneshwari and admitted to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital on last Wednesday, enjoyed a happy reunion with his family on Friday. ‘The Hindu’ had published a report on the Mayor’s gesture.
After the ‘108 Ambulance’ personnel allegedly turned down the appeal of Tirunelveli Railway Junction Manager V.M. Chelladurai to shift the 90-year-old man found abandoned near his office on Wednesday to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, he took up the issue with Mayor E. Bhuvaneshwari.
Rushing to the spot, she took the drenched old man with bruises all over the body, who was identified later as S. Srinivasan of Kumbakonam, to the hospital in her official car and got him admitted there.
As ‘The Hindu’ reported the news on the Mayor’s gesture with his photograph, the old man’s family members came to know about his pathetic condition and they rushed to the TVMCH on Friday. “When we came to Nagercoil last month, we lost him after he went to the restroom. After the prolonged search for him went in vain, we filed a complaint with the railway police. However, he had boarded some train to reach Tirunelveli Railway Junction, from where he was admitted to the TVMCH, thanks to the kind gesture of the Mayor,” said one of the family members.
Kin in tears
Ms. Bhuvaneshwari, who came to the hospital following unexpected turn of events, met the family members, who were in tears.
“On seeing my badge carrying the photograph of the Chief Minister, Mr. Srinivasan even as the treatment was going on told me in English that he was an assistant to the make-up man of ‘Amma,’ when she was acting. Is it true?,” Ms. Bhuvaneshwari asked Mr. Srinivasan’s daughter Pushkala, who confirmed her father’s assertion.
“Yes… After being an assistant to Amma’s official make-up man for several years, he returned to Kumbakonam where he served as a priest for a few years,” Ms. Pushkala replied and thanked the Mayor profusely for her kind gesture.
