In a country where government officials are notoriously reputed to be inefficient and lazy, a 56-year-old man proves to be the exception, refusing to leave his work even after retirement as no has yet been appointed in his post.K Madusoodanan retired on April 30, but turns up at the Taliparamba office of the department of agriculture in Kannur district of Kerala, to continue his work as an upper divisional (UD) clerk.What’s more, he hasn’t taken leave in his 31 years of service, except on two occasions – once for his wedding and the other occasion was when he met with an accident. He may be the only official who works on Sundays and on government holidays without fail.Now Madusoodanan has once again surprised his colleagues by continuing to work post- retirement. “I retired on April 30, but they have not found a replacement yet, and since there is pending work, I thought to finish it,” he says.He dedication to his work is rooted in an ethic of service and duty towards the citizens he is supposed to serve. “Ours was a very poor family. My childhood and teenage years were spent in utter poverty. That was the time I got this job and I started loving it more than I love myself,” he says.On May 3, 1984, he joined as a lower divisional clerk in agriculture department. Never missing work even during festivals like Onam and Vishu, this workaholic also worked on the day of his daughter’s wedding, though he arrived to work a little late that day.“After my marriage ceremony, he rushed to the office even without having the lunch,” his daughter Sukanya recalls, adding: “We are used to his routine and passion. And now we know that he has done something commendable,” she says.Madusoodanan had much to say about slow pace of work at government offices. “Though I work day and night, on most days I am unable to finish the day’s work. Now think about others who work just regular hours and some even come to office at 12 pm,” he says.“Hundreds of files are accumulated in our government offices without any further movement. In a way we are harming the public and breaking their trust,” he added.And being in Kerala, his nightmares are all about hartals, and did not let even that stop him from getting in the way. “On hartal days, I slept in the office on the previous night,” he says.He knows that in few a days’ time when the government appoints someone in his post, he will have to leave his office forever, and bid a permanent goodbye “It is painful for me, this job has been my life for the last 31 years,” he says, saddened at the thought.Marriage, sex and contraception- A woman's tale of a Catholic church's preparatory course