Andhra Pradesh - Nalgonda   

Despair nowhere in sight

S. Ramu

NALGONDA: In 13 years of service, his count has never gone wrong. He plays the cashier role to perfection. He even caught a counterfeit note in a bundle of 100 rupee notes recently.

Meet Garlapati Sreenivasa Reddy a visually challenged cashier-cum-clerk of Andhra Bank's Nalgonda branch.

"Once he counts the notes, we need not count them again. He is a man of perfection. I have never seen him in a bad mood," the bank's senior manager K. Rajendra Kumar says.

Hailing from a remote village called Lingala in Penpahad mandal, Mr. Reddy studied for B.A. at Nizam College and secured M.A. (Political Science) degree through correspondence course from Osmania University.

Hard work

"By birth I have been totally blind. Having digested this naked fact, I am working hard to come up in life," Mr. Reddy said.

It is true fortune favours the brave. He could clear the Staff Selection Commission test in 1990 and joined as cashier-cum-clerk in Andhra Bank on December 30, 1991. "I never had a problem counting currency notes and I never created any sort of trouble in the bank. I can find the notes of different denominations on the basis of their sizes," Mr. Reddy said. To the surprise of his higher ups, he singled out a fake currency note on September 15.

Some advice

Asked to give a message to boost the morale of the visually challenged, a humble Mr. Reddy said: "I am not so great as to give messages. I don't feel that I am doing a great job." However, he advised them not to be let down by physical problems. "Don't lose hope since we have to come to terms with reality. Study hard and grab the opportunities available."

The senior manager said the services of the soft-spoken Mr. Reddy was being used at the "May I Help You" counter sometimes.

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