Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Mr Fix-it - Anand Kolath - has finally put down his hammer and nails after 30 years of devoted work at a popular expat and sports club in the kingdom.
The mighty maintenance man at the Dilmun Club joined the staff in 1977, just three years after was established at a small villa in Shakura.
Anand remembers being introduced to the club by Reg Perfit, a Gulf Air captain, and starting on his first regular job as club cleaner for a salary of BD45.
A science graduate from a small village in Kozhikode in Kerala, has served the club, now based near Saar, in a variety of roles from evening security guard to odd-job man.
Today at 60, Anand has no regrets for having dedicated half his life to the club and its members but is looking forward to returning home to India.
He said: "With my earnings I have managed to build a house in Kerala and am educating my son who is an under-graduate student.
"When I first came to Bahrain it was not very developed. There were not many jobs in those days. I could speak English, Hindi and Malayalam and that helped. I have always been a willing worker and have always been on call 24-hours a day.
"Today's job scene is different. People need to be educated and computer literate. But the golden rule is still to be hard working. It's important to have an enthusiastic attitude with a readiness to perform every task, however small it may be, to the best of your ability."
Well-known for his helpful and ever-smiling personality, Karen Boyd, secretary of the club, admitted everybody "loves Anand".
She said: "He is our best fix-it man and has a fabulous character ... he is always smiling, always happy and very willing. We have no clue what we will do without Anand."
Danny, maintenance supervisor at the club, added: "I joined in 2000 when Anand was the supervisor. Today, he is not as physically fit as before and has trouble with his vision and hearing and so I was promoted.
"He is a very good person, always advising or helping people. We work together and if there is any big problem we are always called to help. He is like a father to me."
The news of his retirement is spreading fast and Roy Silverthorne, the general manager of the club in the 1990s, sent an email from Spain which stated: "Just heard through the grapevine that Anand is retiring. Please pass our best wishes to him for a happy retirement. He was a truly 'unique' maintenance man!"
The Dilmun Club is holding a special presentation for Anand, on November 28, before he flies back in early December to Kerala where his wife, Vimala, a primary school teacher, and his son, Vineeth, 23, are waiting for him.
