If anyone had told me in 2019 that I am going to be spending most of 2020 with my family, staying inside and surrounded by uncertainties, I might have not believed it. Life is unpredictable and obstacles come unannounced. In these trying times, our healthcare workers, doctors, grocers, police are battling at the forefront. Their job is as hard as it can get. Amidst this chaos, so many stories of people rising to the occasion have come up. We saw communities around the world helping each other through this crisis. The violinist in Italy entertaining during the lockdown, Indian police bringing birthday cakes, people cooking food for anyone who needs it, there are so many stories of kindness bringing happiness to someone’s life.
These heartwarming stories from around the country inspired me and I am sure will inspire you too. Take a look at my five favorite ones
1. Where there is a need, there is a tweet!
Each one of us is in danger of contracting Covid-19, but our grandparents and their generation are much more likely to get it. In the lockdown, many of us were lucky to have our friends and families with us. But there were quite a few old people staying alone. Not having your family with you is hard but the lockdown made it even harder. Aishwarya S, a 32 year IT professional in Bengaluru took it upon her to make it easier for them. She tweeted this message to offer her help. Since then she has been getting essentials and medicines for them. And sometimes she just sits and chats with them making sure they don’t feel alone.
2. Stop ‘Scaremongering’ and Start ‘Caremongering’
Mahita Nagaraj, a digital marketing professional and single mum got inspired by the ‘Caremongering’ initiative in Canada.
When her friends residing outside of India approached her to ensure the safety of their old parents in India, Mahita realized that there can be so many concerned people living abroad. Her Facebook post offering help received tremendous response and a Facebook group – Caremongers India was created. Caremongers India is working tirelessly to help the elderly, the disabled, those with pre-existing health conditions, and anyone with an infant under a year.
2. Neighbourly Love
While the doctors and healthcare workers are battling at the frontlines, people like Mr. Rohit Suri are making sure that they are taken care of.
Dr. Kaushik Barua who is a 30-year old critical care resident at a private hospital in Delhi found a kind soul in Mr. Suri, his landlord. Mr. Suri has been cooking meals for Dr. Barua every day so that he does not have to cook after returning from his hospital shift. They have become very good friends during this time and share a great camaraderie as this cute ‘Social Distancing’ selfie.
4. Doggo treats
Along with human beings, the pandemic also made stray animals vulnerable. On the beaches of Goa, the dogs earlier used to survive on the leftovers by the beach shacks. They started getting aggressive once the outlets closed. They were just hungry and dehydrated. During conversations with the lifeguards, this problem was observed by Divya Sharma, head of culture and brand at Drishti Lifesaving, the company that provides lifeguard services for Goa’s beaches.
Realizing the need of the hour, she put out a call asking for help with vessels and ration. Cohiba, a bar in Goa’s Sinquerim is very popular with tourists and locals. They responded quickly and offered their staff and premises. The restaurant was closed for business, but only for humans. They had a new item on their menu, ‘Doggie Biriyani’. Food is picked up by the volunteers and left at the beach. The lifeguards then distribute it among around 150 stray dogs. Along with Cohiba, other residents also stepped up and offered ration, meat and money. It became a community effort towards feeding the dogs.
5. No Food Waste
The plight of migrant workers during this time was a tough sight. When a lot of employers turned a blind eye to their workers, K Venkata Murali, MD of Kaligotla Technologies in Hyderabad have helped 1500 migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. His NGO, No Food Waste though is originally focussed on serving meals to the poor. However, during the lockdown, they have started efforts towards arranging ration for the needy and delivering essentials free of cost to senior citizens living alone.
These stories are proof of the strength of a community. Be it an individual like Aishwarya or an NGO like No Food Waste, whenever problems have been spotted, people have stepped up and brought the community together. One such example is Campus Haat in the city of Kanpur. With the help of local support, what they have achieved in this lockdown is commendable. From homemade food delivery to distributing ration to the needy, they undertook every responsibility.
Stay tuned to know more about their endeavors!