C.P. Radhakrishnan has a habit of setting aside food for birds; Manikandan Pillai on new Vice President

PATHANAMTHITTA: "Whenever he sits down to eat, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan follows a personal ritual. He sets aside a portion of food on a paper or plate, prays, and then takes it outside for the birds. If it is chapati, he places a piece of chapati with some curry. He believes feeding other living beings is the duty of every human being,” says T.C. Manikandan Pillai, who has been working as Radhakrishnan’s senior secretary for the past ten years.

Their association began in 2016, when Radhakrishnan was Chairman of the Coir Board in Kochi and Manikandan Pillai was Additional Secretary.

Radhakrishnan is known for his simplicity and integrity. Even when offering tea to visitors, he pays the cost himself. During his tenure as the BJP in-charge of Kerala, he travelled in his own car brought from Tamil Nadu. When it broke down, the party office spent Rs 1.5 lakh on repairs. On learning this, Radhakrishnan immediately signed a cheque and instructed that the money be deposited in the party fund as a donation.

Manikandan Pillai, who began his career as a junior auditor in the Coir Board, later served as secretary when Radhakrishnan was the BJP’s Kerala in-charge. He also worked as his senior private secretary during Radhakrishnan’s governorship in Jharkhand and handled arrangements for his meetings in Kerala and Tamil Nadu when he was Governor of Maharashtra.

Strict in principles
Though soft-spoken and simple in lifestyle, Radhakrishnan is firm in his principles. While living in Thiruvananthapuram during his party assignment, he paid his house rent personally. As Coir Board Chairman, he would not allow even a single rupee to be wasted. He strictly monitored even the expenses for serving tea to guests, which rarely exceeded Rs 100 a day, recalls Manikandan Pillai.