Upping the ante on Charity,  a beedi worker from Kannur has donated Rs 2 lakh to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) in Kerala, leaving just Rs 850 in his bank account.

C P Sounder Raj was at work when an elderly man walked into the Kerala Bank branch here on Friday. The man enquired about his account balance, and when told he had Rs 2,00,850, demanded Raj to help him donate Rs 2 lakh to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).

Raj said he was initially taken aback. Then the feeling sank in: “We are all so small before this man,” the bank employee later posted. The man had identified himself as a retired worker of the Dinesh Beedi Cooperative Society.

Raj felt the man had not put in enough thought before making the decision to donate such a huge amount, almost all of his savings. The banker suggested donating Rs 1 lakh now, and keeping the remaining amount in his account.

The response left Raj speechless. The man said he has been receiving the pension for the differently-abled, besides raising additional revenue by making beedis. He said it was enough to see him through.

The elderly man sought anonymity, and hence Raj had not identified him. In his news conference later in the evening, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lauded the man for the altruistic donation.

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