Mangalore: Most probably, he is the oldest driver and of course one of the oldest persons in the entire world. Charles Michael D'Souza, who will be competing 100 years on this October 16, still drives a car for a living.
D'Souza, who is perfectly healthy gets up at 4 o'clock in the morning, does household work, cooks his food, washes his clothes and works as a car driver for two bank employees in Mangalore. A leading Kannada newspaper 'Vijaya Karnataka' has carried a special story on him.
He was born in the same year the First World War broke out and was with the British Indian Army during the Second World War.
He was born on October 16, 1914 at Ooty in Tamil Nadu. His father's name is Charlson and mother's name is Mary. He claims that his ancestors are Greek, who came to India from Bethlehem.
He is the 10th child of his parents. His parents had 13 children and he is the only one who is still alive. He joined the British Indian Army in 1932 at the age of 18 and served in Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Kashmir.
He quit the British Army in 1942 to become a fulltime driver. In 1952 he was sent to Mangalore as a diesel concrete mixer machine driver by then Madras state government.
When Mangalore became a part of Karnataka in 1956, he also became an employee of the Public Works Department. He worked with the PWD till 1982. After his retirement, he has been working as a private driver in Mangalore.
Driving licence valid till 2019
His driving licence is valid till 2019. D'Souza still has a copy of his birth certificate issued by the St. Mary's Church in Ooty. He also has his school certificates, his military records, identity cards, senior citizen cards, age certificate, several driving licenses, government records and many other documents to prove his age.
His wife Eliza D'Souza died two year ago. They have no children. His brother's daughter and grand children visit him occasionally. He gets Rs 8000 monthly pension from Karnataka government.
Some Mangaloreans have decided to felicitate this very very special centenarian on October 16 at the Canara College auditorium in Mangalore.
There are only two more examples of centenarian drivers in the world. Edwards of New Zealand is 106 and still drives his car. Fred Hale Senior of the United State of America used to drive till his death at the age of 108 in 1998.
But, Michael Charles D'Souza is the only centenarian who still drives for his livelihood.
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