GURUGRAM: It was the time when dreams were crushed and despair descended on many households. Some had lost jobs, some a place of stay and scores of migrant workers were seen walking kilometres to reach their hometowns.
When the Covid-induced lockdown cast a pall of gloom and robbed people of their livelihood, the challenges also brought out the best of humanity. Many residents of NCR accepted the ones in despair as their own. Hundreds of families came together to feed the migrant workers and students left stranded in the big city.
It was a conversation between strangers on social media that started it off. On a Facebook page where athletes often discussed their upcoming running and cycling events, the talk veered towards the migrants’ plight.
Shaurya Roy, a businessman, got in touch with Abhishek Mishra, an entrepreneur. Together, they visited slums in Saraswati Vihar, which has about 1,500 shanties, and interacted with daily wage labourers, construction workers and domestic helpers who had lost their jobs. The Facebook page soon became a platform for the athletes to contact each other on the ground when they were out to provide aid and food.
“Many of the workers wanted to leave for their hometowns as they feared running out of supplies. We counselled them and assured them they would get help. We have been in touch with them ever since and provided them food,” Roy, a resident of DLF-5, said.
People were not well-informed about the crisis and often missed the administration’s announcements, Roy said, adding that they tried to bridge this gap.
Sonal Pathak, who lives in Suncity Township, similarly joined hands with five other residents of the society in March to help out more than 1,000 migrant workers and labourers who had lost their jobs at construction sites around the Golf Course Road area. With donations from more than a 100 people, Pathak’s group, over a period of three months, was able to deliver food kits consisting of 10 kg rice, 2 kg flour, 500ml oil, small packets of turmeric, salt, chilli powder and 1 kg of potatoes and onions to the families of the labourers.
During the lockdown, Shibal Bhartiya said being a doctor meant she was allowed to venture outside her house. She used this opportunity to help the labourers living in the city’s slums. Along with her 13-year-old son and her friend Grashmi Jivani, a resident of South City-1, she distributed food to many in need. “We reached out to several people via social media and raised funds. We have been providing 2kg packets of rice, pulses and soap to each family,” Bhartiya, who resides in Nirvana County, said.
At the same time, the doctor also tried to educate the workers about the importance of social distancing.
Many families in DLF-2 have been similarly feeding migrant labourers around their societies and distributing rice and pulses. Some have set up community kitchens as well, said Gaurav Wahi, RWA president, DLF-2. In Dwarka Expressway, some residents have contributed sanitisers and hand wash to slum-dwellers in the area. “We have been giving rice and pulses to construction workers, and are also providing food to our support staff,” Praveen Malik, RWA president, Sare Homes, Sector 92, said.