Personal touch: Kannipan taking customers to the basement car park of Gama Supermarket and Departmental Store. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Polio victim G. Kannipan is happy just to be able to have a stable job as a lift operator.
The 71-year-old grandfather, who walks with a limp, has been working at Gama Supermarket and Departmental Store for the past 41 years.
His smile and friendly banter are two important traits that greet customers daily.
“I sit inside the lift and help people fit their trolleys into the lift or guide them to the right floor.
“It has been rewarding in many ways as it has given me a stable job for decades and it fulfils me as I’ve seen generations of children grow up,” he said.
Considered an archaic job, manning a lift dates back to when lifts were strictly manual and operators were needed to stop them correctly at each floor.
The advent of electronics enabled lifts to stop precisely at each floor, and operators today provide a special service in hotels and department stores.
Kannipan, who travels 7km by bus from Air Itam to his workplace in town, said any kind of work can eventually become boring and it is up to each person to overcome the monotony.
“It is all about feeling comfortable doing one’s job and in my case, the satisfaction of making people smile and helping them,” he said.
Despite more than four decades on the job, the father of two anticipates doing the task for several more years.
“I still have it in me and do not want to sit around at home.
“Here, I keep myself occupied and am earning as well. I like to work; I would be bored at home.
“My children have asked me to retire but I shall stick around a while longer,” he said, adding that many of his friends have retired.
Kannipan said he had contracted polio at the age of four.
“Because I am physically challenged, I can’t drive a car or ride a motorcycle,” he said.
“Before working here, I did odd jobs like selling papers and sweets, but they never stuck because of my condition.”
It was a friend in Gama who had recommended Kannipan for this job when he was 29.
“Over the years I decided not to opt for another job because not many places would hire me due to my physical condition.
“Here, I sit in the lift and wait for customers. I usually make conversation as it is a service job,” he said.
Kannipan said work does get hectic during peak hours, sales and festive seasons.
“The lifts will then be running non-stop. I have encountered rude customers, but I am not too bothered by it and just do my job as best I can.
“Sometimes they feel I am slow but it is okay, I try and keep up,” he said.
