Helping hand: Kannipan assisting a customer to manoeuvre the trolley into the lift at Gama in George Town. He has been working as a lift operator for 40 years. — KT GOH/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: G. Kannipan’s workplace is quite claustrophobic and it has a lot of ups and downs, but he takes it all in his stride. After all, he has been doing it for 40 years.
Kannipan, 69, is a lift operator.
He is one of the most familiar faces at Gama, the oldest supermarket and departmental store in Malaysia.
He spends eight hours a day, six days a week in the small 1.65m by 1.5m lift, guiding shoppers to the various floors of the supermarket.
He knows exactly what is available on each floor and even serves as a directory for the customers.
Always with a smile on his face and a greeting, the polio victim has served shoppers over the past 40 years.
Every time the lift doors open, he would be there on his stool, ready to be of assistance.
Being stuck in a confined space may seem boring and tiresome to some, but Kannipan, who walks with a limp, said his job had been a delight.
“The lift has been my second home for decades now. With my physical problem, this job is perfect for me.
“I mostly stay seated in the lift, only getting up to help customers with their trolleys,” he said.
“I have seen generations of people at Gama. I have seen children grow up to become young adults, and then come here with children of their own.
“They remember me and are shocked to see that I am still here.”
There have been unkind ones, too, who get upset because he is slow.
“I take that as part of the job,” he said.
Kannipan, who lives in Ayer Itam, takes the bus to work every day.
Luckily, the bus stops just outside the departmental store.
“Yes, there have been times when the job feels boring, but I guess people who sit at desks all day feel bored too.
“I get to meet a lot of people and there are days when we have sales and I am overwhelmed,” he said.
Despite being one of the longest-serving employees, Kannipan hopes to work for another five years.
“I have two grown children and a grandchild, but I wish to work a bit longer.
“I joined Gama in 1982 when I was 29. I was recommended by a friend who worked as a driver here.
“There weren’t many places that would employ someone with polio, so I grabbed the chance. I started in the store but then became a lift operator.
“I feel special because no other place here offers this service,” he said.
Gama human resource supervisor Ooi Guat Choo said they always had a lift operator.
“It was something the owners wanted from the beginning. We have two lifts and three lift operators who work on shifts,” she said.
“It makes it easier for customers, especially those with children, on wheelchairs or with a full trolley.
“There is never a time when there is no lift operator.
“Even when they need to go for a break, someone replaces them in the lift.
“The job also involves pushing trolleys but we do not ask Kannipan to do that.
“He just needs to stay inside the lift and assist the customers.”
