Empathy ends Bihar migrant’s lockdown miseries

Surat: In the sea of migrant crisis, this may appear to be just a drop, but had it not been for the benevolent locals, 25-year-old Bihar native Vijay Mandal’s 2,000km travel to the city in search for work, would have ended in cold statistics. However, he safely reached home, empty-handed nonetheless, but safe and still dreaming of working in the diamond city some day.
Mandal had reached Surat along with the lockdown on March 21, which not only poured cold water on his aspirations, but the means for survival too.
In search of work, this native of Mohanpur village of Bhagalpur district, had initially reached Mumbai in March first week. But as he did not find any job there, he came to Surat to meet other friends here who assured him of some work in the city. “When I reached here, the situation became uncertain and the units where my friends work closed down,” he told TOI.
Adding to his miseries, Mandal’s friends left for Bihar as their tickets got confirmed and he was rendered homeless. Left without cash and other means to sustain himself , he found a safe spot on footpath near Sai Baba temple in Ratan Chowk locality of Limbayat. Seeing the destitute, locals first started providing him food. After hearing his sorrow, some nearby residents allowed him to stay in the temple which became his makeshift home for two months
“I am leaving empty handed, but with a happy mind. I will never forget the compassion shown by people here. I will come back to work if things improve in near future,” said Mandal.
On Tuesday, as he prepared to board the train back home, Mandal was not only provided food by the locals, but also a decent haircut, a pair of new clothes and some cash.
“He was disturbed for the first few days due to the shock. He used to speak or sing continuously. But our care and attention helped him gain control of his self and he returned home normal,” said Mukesh Patil, a transporter living in Ratan Chowk.