Somitra Srivastava, Rupali Srivastava and Kushal Thakkar
Covid-19 has made the world come to a standstill, well almost. While the lockdown was a necessity, it has caused problems for many. In Gurgaon, several companies have shut down operations to avoid further spread of the disease. However, daily wage earners are leaving the city since they have no money to buy food. Understanding the importance of stopping the movement of these workers, we all recently visited the Sector 22B Gurgaon police station and extended our support to the community, in terms of medicines and food. We gave our phone numbers and requested the police to share them with anyone who needs any kind of help during these difficult times.
It was a moment of triumph when we all started getting calls from some of these workers from Gurgaon. Now we are in touch with them, and constantly requesting them to not leave the city. We are regularly supplying basic necessities to the workers so that they need not step out of their homes. Knowledge is power, and we have also warned them that if they leave, they may be out in camps for 14 days, in quarantine. And also that it’s a threat to life, and that it’s better for them to be at home till everything is back to normal. Videos, little talks and our friendly gestures have made them realise that they are safe, and will be safe here. We were happier when they also started spreading the message to other people who were planning to leave.
We have since then started making food at home and distributing them in packets among these people. All the vegetables and other ingredients are bought by us, at our own expense. We are proud to say that close to 35 food packets are going in the afternoons and evenings to five traffic policemen stationed near Jwala Mill where several of these daily wage workers stay. It’s now been more than a month since we’ve been working towards this cause.
Our families, although a little apprehensive due to the obvious health threats in the beginning, have been very supportive, for we all believe that if you do good, it will come back to you at double the speed. (For Somitra, who’s in the telecom sector, it’s a risk as nobody knows what the future holds as far as jobs are concerned. But he’s firm on his resolve – at this time, humanity needs to be at first place. In January 2001, during his MBA days, when Ahmedabad was hit by an earthquake, he himself was without food for three days, sleeping on the street as the building in which he lived had been on the verge of collapse. Relief came when a few families brought their kitchens out under the open sky, cooking food and helping one another.)
We will continue this till May 3, and longer if need be, and look forward to a healthier, happier, virus-free world soon.
Somitra and Kushal work with the telecom sector and Somitra’s wife, Rupali is a homemaker
As told to Neharika Mathur Sinha
