CHENNAI: Padma S has been in the limelight for nearly four weeks after she returned a box containing 45 sovereigns of jewellery, worth several lakhs, to the police. “It began on January 12, and it’s been relentless.
The neighbours must be fed up with us,” she says, half-smiling through the nervousness and fatigue. She sits in her one-room home on the first floor of a small building in Hanumanthapuram, behind the Lighthouse Railway Station in Triplicane, on a lane lined with the homes of conservancy workers and auto drivers.
Padma, a cleanliness worker with Urbaser Sumeet under the GCC, entered the job over two decades ago during a difficult period for her family, at her sister’s suggestion. Now 48, Padma, originally from Bengaluru, had migrated to Chennai after her wedding. “I came to this city 35 years ago and joined the service 21 years ago,” she says. Her initial salary of Rs 1,500 has since risen to nearly Rs 20,000.
A typical day in Padma’s life begins at 4 am. “I cook, clean, finish all the household work, and leave for duty at 5.30 am. I need to reach T Nagar by 6,” she says. She travels from Triplicane to T Nagar every day, sweeping streets until 2 pm, with two short breaks in between. “A 30-minute breakfast break at 10 am and a 15-minute tea break at noon,” she adds. Returning home, the rest of her day is spent finishing chores. Her daughter is married, and her son works at an IT firm.
This humdrum routine was disrupted after Padma encountered the jewellery box. “At first, I thought it was food inside an ice cream box. When I realised it was gold, my husband and I felt it was right to give it to the police,” she says. Having believed in hard work all her life, she says she did not want to keep even a fraction of someone else’s earnings. Incidentally, her name means ‘purity’.
Her act of honesty has brought Padma recognition from across the State. Chief Minister MK Stalin rewarded her with Rs 1 lakh, while actor Rajinikanth gifted her a gold chain. At a recent private college event, actor-director Parthiban, in a gesture of respect, washed her feet.
Padma says her job takes a physical toll, with persistent leg pain becoming harder to manage as she grows older. “Every other month, we visit the hospital. The medicines help, but the pain always returns,” she says.
While the attention post her act has been gratifying, it has also been exhausting. Padma is recognised on the streets, with people stopping her during working hours to take photographs. A life that usually goes unnoticed has suddenly been thrust into public view. “Whatever happens, I still have to report to work at 5.30 am,” she tells us.
“There is no leave or spare time for her,” says Padma’s husband, L Subramani (58). An auto driver from Kotturpuram, Subramani has been driving Padma around for the media interactions, losing out on his daily earnings. “I am a simple man who wants to be a good husband to my wife, and I hope I am doing that,” he says.
Content to stay in the background, he wants Padma to enjoy her moment in the spotlight. “My husband and I share a phone; otherwise, I would have been driven crazy by all these calls,” Padma says, as Subramani joins in with a laugh.
At first, I thought it was food inside an ice cream box. When I realised it was gold, my husband and I felt it was right to give it to the policePadma S, cleanliness worker, GCC