On chauffeur's last day at work, collector drives him to office

NAGPUR: On his last day at work,

Digambar Thak

got a wonderful farewell gift when his boss,

Akola district collector

G Sreekanth drove him to office in the official car. Thak retired on Friday after serving the revenue department as driver for 33 years.

Thak had seen many bosses, good and bad, over the years, but never like Sreekanth. Though Thursday started on a sad note for Thak, it turned out to be the most memorable day of his life.

As was his routine, Thak reached the official residence of Sreekanth in the morning. He expected to drive the collector to his office and at the end of the day drive him back. Then he would go back to his own home for the last time from work.

However, a pleasant surprise was in store for Thak. When he saw the official car decked in flowers, he was a bit puzzled and he had no inkling of the gift he was about to get. When Sreekanth offered to drive him to the office, he was taken aback.

Since when had this high ranking official started indulging in persiflage, he thought. However, when the collector told him that this was his farewell gift, Thak was overwhelmed. He pleaded with the collector to change his decision but to no avail.

“I don’t have words to describe my feelings. I feel I must have something worthwhile in my service to deserve this honour,” Thak told TOI in an emotion-choked voice.

Sreekanth did not stop at this. The collector made Digambar sit on the chair next to him and then felicitated him and his wife in presence of all collectorate employees. “He also gave me gifts,” Thak added.

Thak’s colleagues

were impressed when Sreekanth asked them to arrange the felicitation but the gesture to drive him to the office had them at loss of words. “Not only Digambar, but all junior staffers of the collectorate also felt honoured by the gesture,” a staffer working in collector’s personal office said.

Sreekanth does not feel that he has done anything extraordinary. “I have just respected the dignity of labour. Indians have forgotten that but in Western countries a driver or a washerman is as important as a bureaucrat,” he told TOI.

“Digambar had served the government for 33 years whereas I am only 31 years old. Collectors get recognition but their drivers don’t, even though they work relentlessly for their bosses,” he said.