Driving across country roads for Covid-19

HYDERABAD:  Reams of newsprint and audio-visual stories narrate the horror of the pandemic along with the spiking numbers from different parts of the country. At the same time, a group of three socially conscious friends have decided to travel across the country in a car to document the untold stories of people they meet across their journey. Meet Neha Chaturvedi, Ahmer Siddiqui, and Siddhartha Dutta, who started the campaign the ‘Road Ashram’ in October. 

As part of this donation and documentation drive, the trio is traversing 25,000 km across 30 states in 60 days in their SUV which covered with one large sticker which has tiny icons of quirky designs signifying art and culture of India. On its dark background, one spots the tricolour, silhouette of a meditating Buddha, a puja kalash, Taj Mahal, elephants, camels, kites, dancers, and jazzy auto rickshaws. Designed by their team member Anita Khare, it is a piece of art itself which attracts the attention of many people the three friends meet across their travel. This vehicle is their home since they started their journey from Delhi. 

Country roads
So how did this journey start? Says Neha, a creative collaborator from Agra, who works with a trans-disciplinary community: “Ahmer and Siddharth got in touch and it all kickstarted within a few days.” Ahmer is from Delhi while Siddharth is from Kolkata, who lives and works in Mumbai. The team has travelled along the borders of China and Nepal in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. In Sikkim, they met influencing citizens like Bhaichung Bhutia. They later went to Bhutan border in Jaigaon, West Bengal. This was followed by their journey to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Orissa. And why did they choose this campaign? Adds Neha: “We wanted to witness and document the humanitarian side of the pandemic in terms of the suffering of people and those who came forward for aid.” 

Kindness and warmth
But haven’t they received any embargo from people especially when social distancing is quite important and the three of them have been constantly travelling? She further adds, “People have been kind. Some of them hesitate because we record their stories on the camera. And the families with a Covid-19 positive person or senior citizens maintain their self-isolation.” Constant travelling on the roads can be tiring and daily necessities can be challenging.

“We stop on roadside eateries for food. People have offered us meals. We have made several friends in so many cities,” she says. And what about linguistic challenges given the diverse tongues and cultures of India? “We have always found communicators from different communities. Language has never been a bane,” shares Ahmer. That’s how they met a woman from Nepal living at the edge of the Indo-China border. She has eight children working in different towns and villages.

She lives alone in that particular place so that her husband who lives and works in a nearby village can meet her once a month. “She made tea for us. It was such a kind gesture,” add Ahmer and Neha. They keep sharing tiny clips and stories on the social media pages of Road Ashram. But not all have been kind. Shares Ahmer, “In one of the villages of Uttar Pradesh, people had removed the handles of handpumps so that the travelling migrant workers wouldn’t drink water. They did it out of fear of the spread of Coronavirus.”

Stories untold
Why did they name their campaign ‘Road Ashram’? Informs Ahmer, who usually drives the vehicle: “Roads have been our home ever since we started. It’s almost taking shelter on the roads to raise awareness and resources to help those who have suffered because of the pandemic.” They are going to share the videos, audio clips and other stories which showcase the stories of people from different parts of the country. “Later, we plan to culminate all these tales into a documentary,” adds Neha who records and edits the videos for the team.

To this adds Siddhartha, who is navigating the routes during the trip: “This humanitarian crisis will take much longer and a lot of collective effort to resolve. We all will have to play a role to find our way back to what was ‘normal’. The grassroots level NGOs need immediate support to continue their life-saving work related to the pandemic-hit lives. Through our campaign, we appeal to everyone to make a contribution to the cause.” They are in Hyderabad today and tomorrow and will be meeting the real-life Covid-19 heroes along with people from different walks of life. 

People have been kind. Some of them hesitate because we record their stories on the camera. We have made friends in so many cities 

— Saima Afreen  saima @newindianexpress   @Sfreen