Reporter's Diary: An unusual farewell at BSNL

CHENNAI: It was an emotional day for the ranks and files in Chennai BSNL telecom circle. The chief general manager CV Vinod retired on August 31, 2023, and it is nothing unusual for a top telecom official to retire accepting flowers and garlands. But, what was different was that he said a stern no to any farewell gifts, but was open to the idea of giving donations to support orphans in a Chennai-based home directly on his behalf.

According to BSNL insiders, the CGM had supported several orphans by paying from his pocket and PF money. There have been cases where the CGM was spotted traveling in a bike to meet the high-profile clients of BSNL ranging from corporates to nationalised banks.

“The winner of the gold medal for being one of the best BSNL CGM is a humble human being and he had supported a couple of staff to meet their medical expenses. During his stint, he had focussed on BSNL (FTTH) in north Chennai which is going to be a commercial success. Due to these reasons, his tenure should be extended,” read a letter by INTUC to the union department of telecommunication.

However, the official hung his boots in style with the final emotional communique to his colleagues. In his farewell letter drafted in Tamil, Vinod termed BSNL as a property of its employees and public and urged the staff to ensure its data safety at all costs. Not only he mentors BSNL staff, but he is also the proud father of Chennai born Indian cricketer Varun Chakravathy Vinod.