Best laid plans may go awry, but some manage to turn a negative situation into a positive one.
Take, for instance, Jijin Thampi, a 31-year-old attendant at the railway hospital in Madurai. He had made elaborate plans to celebrate his first wedding anniversary with family and friends in his native Cochin on Tuesday.
However, to medical workers like him, duty in the times of a pandemic means staying back.
“I had made plans to celebrate my first wedding anniversary, which falls on April 28. My friend’s wedding anniversary too falls on the same day and I was to meet my family and friends for the celebration. However, following the lockdown, I had to cancel the plans,” he says.
But he was undeterred by the fact that he will be unable to go home for the anniversary. He still decided to celebrate — by feeding the homeless. “I chanced upon the idea two days ago and got permission from Karimedu police.”
Accompanied by friends, he distributed food packets and water bottles to 200 homeless people in Arasaradi and Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and police personnel deployed there.
“Back at home, it was a simple celebration. My wife made payasam and offered it to neighbours. She was impressed when I told her about how I celebrated our special day. I also shared the pictures with her,” Thampi says.