KUALA LUMPUR: "I consider all of them like my own grandchildren, regardless of whether they are Malay, Chinese, Indian, or any other ethnicity," said security guard K. Santharan.
Santharan, 68, caught the attention of netizens after a video of him holding the hand of a young girl, who is a student at a kindergarten went viral.
The video showed him guiding her to the gate where she was picked up by her guardian.
In the comments section, most netizens were touched by Santharan's treatment of the student and expressed appreciation for what he did.
Further explaining, Santharan said he did not expect to receive attention after the video went viral on TikTok, as he was merely doing the job entrusted to him.
However, he is thankful for the recognition, even though he never expected it.
"I enjoy my job. I help look after all the students, especially when it's time for them to go home because sometimes the teachers are too busy to attend to everyone.
"I hold the students' hands and walk them to their parents' car and also help them cross the road.
"I treat all the students the same, not picking or helping certain ones only because I also have a seven-year-old granddaughter. So when I see other students, I think of my own granddaughter," he said.
The father of two said that so far, neither the teachers nor the parents have had any problems, and they trust him.
He said the positive feedback he receives makes him happy to continue working.
"I worked for 25 years in the maintenance department of a hospital before this.
"I have been working as a security guard for the past five years… the teachers and parents are happy because I help look after the students.
"They trust me, and some parents even give me food and drinks as a token of appreciation. I appreciate it, and as long as I am able, I will continue working here," he said.
Meanwhile, Nurkasmedah Abdullah, 34, said she uploaded a video of her daughter, Eshal Nashwa Mohd Fardisah, 4, with Santharan on TikTok.
She said her intention in sharing the video was simply for memories and she did not expect it to go viral and gain widespread attention.
"I've known 'Uncle' since the first day my child started school on Jan 2 because he was the one who helped us cross the road.
"When I picked up my child from school, I decided to record a video as a keepsake of her first day at school and didn't expect him to help hold her hand down the stairs.
"I was moved because it looked like a grandfather holding his granddaughter's hand, and the next day, I saw him extend the same gesture to other students," she said.