Mysuru: Newspaper distributor and former President of Mysuru newspaper distributers’ association M.S. Srikantaiah, popularly known as ‘Paper’ Srikantaiah, died here on Friday.
Mr Srikantaiah was 88. Mr Srikantaiah had not stopped vending newspapers even when his wife’s condition was critical, and when he returned after completing his task, his wife was no more.
Neither did his father’s death-he died at 4.30 am nor his mother’s death at 5am, stop him from fulfilling his responsibility of distributing newspapers in the early morning hours.
Owing to financial difficulties he had to start distributing newspapers at the age of 12 and did it for 70 years. Though he had six boys to help him, even in his Seventies, he used to distribute newspapers to 300 houses.
He stopped distributing newspapers after he met with an accident seven years ago. An ardent follower of the RSS, Mr Srinkantaiah was in jail during the Emergency and ensured his wife Susheelamma delivered newspapers to all houses even then.
The public trust he won, made him so popular that he became corporator twice from 1982 to 1992. He used to distribute newspapers and then attend council meetings.
Mr Srikantaiah was secretary of Srikantha Education Institution which provides education to 12,00 girl children.
