Category: Lok Issues

‘ A State Healthcare Counsellor

‘Not Just Doctors, All Frontline Workers Face Violence, Abuses’

By LokMarg

Madhu Sagar, 38, a state healthcare counsellor from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, recounts the hardships faced by her team in their line of Covid-19 duty

You would think that after a year of the pandemic, things would be better for both frontline as well as other healthcare workers, but the public still needs to be sensitised properly about how they treat us. Doctors and healthcare workers try their best to provide the best of services and still if for any reason something goes wrong with the patients, then we are treated badly. Takleef hoti hai dekh kar (I feel bad many a times at the way healthcare workers are treated).

I have been in the medical line for over five years now and have been on Covid duty since October. And in the past six months we have seen the ugly side of people. With the pandemic’s second wave many people were caught off-guard and many of them are feeling stressed and angry. I am in the testing team. We are a team of five-six people including doctors and lab technicians etc. (I do the registering of patients), and every day we attend numerous house calls.

Even before the patients go to the hospitals for treatment, we go to test them and more often than not they take out their anger on us. We are the first line of people who face their anger. If we get late by any chance they say we are not doing our work properly. Galiyan bhi padti hain (we often face abusive people). There have been times when angry people chased our vehicle just because one of their relatives tested positive. As if we were to blame for their infection.

Healthcare counsellor Sagar (in yellow suit) with her team

If two people call us and we test the person who first falls on our way rather than the person who called first, then also there are issues. We are trying our best to do our job, the pandemic and the virus’ behaviour is new for everyone, doctors, healthcare workers and patient alike.

If you remember, last year our district (Moradabad) was at the centre of a row when a healthcare team that had gone for testing people were pelted with stones and was made to run from the area. Thankfully the situation this year isn’t as bad as that. Most of the times it is verbal unleashing of anger which more or less we have learnt to take in our stride. People have begun to understand the pandemic better but I believe it can be understood even better. Since I am a counsellor in my regular duty, I try to soothe people who have tested positive or their family members who have caught the virus.

ALSO READ: ‘Ignore Fake News, Vaccines Must For All’

I myself got infected by the virus on April 14, and then my brother, father, kids, husband, everyone contracted it. As soon as I was in the clear, I joined duty. When people tell us we don’t understand them I want to tell them many healthcare workers have caught the virus too, we understand how people feel. The vaccination process in Moradabad has been going quite well and we have very few positive cases currently.

I hope the pandemic gets over soon, we have working non-stop since October (since we were put on Covid duty). We haven’t got a Sunday off or even a day off to attend family functions. People should understand that we are giving the fight against Covid all we have got. We are all in this together. We understand each other.

The Pandemic Situation in India

‘India Must Vaccinate Vulnerable Sections On Priority’

By LokMarg

Prof Jimmy Whitworth, a  member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for WHO’s R&D Blueprint for Action to Prevent Epidemics, has been at the helm of several global initiatives on public health research in low- and middle-income countries. An academic staff member at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, he has rich experience in devising strategy and policy on population health. In an emailed interview, Prof Whitworth spoke with LokMarg about the pandemic situation in India, what to expect in the foreseeable future and how India can tackle the situation.

India has witnessed a deadly second wave of the COVID pandemic that has left in its wake millions of people dying and many more battling with the infection. Although there has been a decline in cases, are there still risks of another wave?

The deadly second wave of COVID-19 in India is now thankfully receding. From a peak of 400,000 new cases a day in early May, there are now around 100,000 new cases per day. However, unless there are concerted efforts to control the epidemic, there are likely to be large waves in the future. These reported numbers of cases are likely to be severe underestimates of the true burden due to a backlog in reporting test results, poor access to testing and many people not being tested because of fear or stigma.

Do you think the Indian government’s decision or recommendation to increase the interval between the first and second doses will have an impact on its efficacy? Or is it, as many believe, an attempt to solve the demand and supply gap for vaccines?

The gap between first and second doses is of minor importance right now, getting vaccines in Indian arms as quickly as possible is the priority. Early on in the pandemic India provided vaccines and medicines for other countries. But now there is a shortage of vaccine supplies in India that is expected to last until July 2021.

The important actions now are to give priority to vaccinations for vulnerable populations, support state level estimates of demand, ensure a coordinated strategy between states and make sure there is an effective supply chain. This means national and state level negotiations are needed to procure vaccines urgently.  There also needs to be a negotiation of patent waivers and clearances for production of a broad set of vaccines with incentives and support for local manufacturers.

One of the variants of the virus in India is believed to be a mutation that is resistant to antidotes. How effective are the vaccines available now? Is there reason to believe that they are not effective against new variants of the COVID virus?

The current vaccines appear to be effective at preventing infection and disease of all of the new variants described so far, although there is some drop-off in effectiveness in protection against some of the strains. The vaccines are still valuable and one of the most important tools that we have to combat this terrible epidemic. Everyone should be encouraged to come forward for vaccination.

How do you think India can best handle the situation there in the context of lack of healthcare infrastructure and the sheer size of the population?

Despite the vast population and fragmented health system, India can control this epidemic. This needs political leadership, with good quality data for decision making. Transparency, public communication and engagement to ensure collective responsibility and action will be important. We need to enhance the ability of health services to respond by expanding the pool of trained, well-protected staff, establish dedicated well-equipped and safe COVID-19 facilities, use primary care for home care, and ensure sufficient medical supplies and oxygen. As well as the need for mass vaccination mentioned above, we need to scale up SARS-CoV-2 testing and expand decentralised contact tracing and isolation. International and domestic travel need to be reduced and made safe through testing and quarantine. Effective bans of gatherings of more than 12 people, closing venues and indoor public spaces and ensuring physical distancing, hand hygiene and mask-wearing will be important to prevent transmission of infection.

What does the future scenario look like? Would most of the world’s population have to live with the reality that the virus and its mutants will continue to be a threat in varying degrees for the foreseeable future?

The measures mentioned above will be sufficient to bring the epidemic under control, however it is likely that this virus will remain in the human population and cause outbreaks for years to come. We will need to adapt to become faster and more effective at controlling these waves of infection. This may need the development of new vaccines to combat variants that occur in the future.

Cancellation Of Board Exams

‘Cancellation Of Board Exams Ends Uncertainty, Stress’

By LokMarg

Ehsaas Kant, a Class 12 student of SKD Academy in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, speaks about how the uncertainty over board exams kept children and parents on the edge amid Covid-19

Finally, the government figured out a way to end the stalemate that Class 12 students across the country had found themselves in. To say that I am relieved would be a massive understatement, I am happy. I am not happy because the exams have been cancelled but because the confusion is over. I would have been equally happy if the exams had been held. I am ok with the new objective evaluation process as my academic performance in the past 3 years has been good.

I want to be a doctor when I grow up. I want to be able to contribute in times like these, when the pandemic is raging all around us, and not just be a mute spectator. Doctors are always beacons of hope, but right now it is us aspiring medical students (and all Class 12 students) that need hope and support.

I am a Class 12 student at SKD Academy, Lucknow, which follows the CBSE curriculum. The academic year 2020-21 has been ‘testing’ in every sense of the word. Just as we passed Class 11, we were faced with the pandemic and no one could make any sense of what was going on. I don’t think we have still been able to make much sense. In 2020 our schools were closed from March to October, so you can say that our Class 12 foundation was quite shaky. Between October and February we somehow managed the curriculum, only to see a repeat telecast of 2020 all over again during the second wave.

Ehsaas (left) says the government decision has not come a day too soon

Frankly, I was shocked when the second wave appeared. Thank God we could at least get our lab practicals done in time. I thought our lives were finally going back to normal and that we would for sure be able to give our Board exams unhindered, but that was not to be. But it’s ok that with the cancellation of exams and the new evaluation process we will be able to make some sense of things.

For long, many of us were trying to keep to our daily routine of studies, but after a time you do begin questioning things. Our teachers were available on WhatsApp and video calls if we need them. A little pressure is necessary for performing well, and since for the past many months the goalposts kept shifting with extended lockdowns in place, it was easier to become lax.

ALSO READ: ‘Delay In Holding Exams Got On My Nerves’

But the overall stress gets increased in such situations, one just wants the exams to get over with. Along with Board exams, we also haven’t been able to give any competitive exams (NEET) as well. The road towards medical studies looks riddled with hurdles right now. However now we can at least prepare single-mindedly for our entrance exams or any other competitive exams.

My dad, who is a Computer Engineer kept me motivated all this while and told me to continue studying for the last few months, keeping this fact in mind that no matter even if the school and competitive exam dates are suddenly announced, I should be prepared and not caught off guard. My younger sister, who is in Class 7 keeps me company during lockdown. And my mom’s constant support has seen me through these uncertain times, but I do miss my friends and cousins a lot.

For long I wondered, if Class 10 Board exams could be cancelled, couldn’t something be figured out for us as well? Maybe at least a forum could be created where students could put forward their grievances and queries and support each other. Mental and emotional support of students is as important in these times as is social distancing and wearing masks (as in physical well-being).

Of course I would have needed to go out for my medical studies, but now if at all exams are held and we clear them, we have to take the city or town’s medical infrastructure also into account. So many places have institutes of repute, but the surrounding medical infrastructure isn’t so good.

I hope all the progress we have made towards education for everyone in our country doesn’t get washed away by the pandemic. My cousins who are doing their graduation abroad have had an equally tough year and we keep trying to cheer each other up. Family support is very important in these times and I am glad that my parents understand my situation. Love and laughter in family and vaccines are what will see us through these uncertain times.

‘From Self-Pity In School To Self-Confidence In Law College’

By LokMarg

Once bullied and jeered at in school for being vertically challenged, Harwinder Kaur, 24, from Jalandhar, Punjab, is today an inspiration for countless people for her grit and positivity

As a growing child in Rama Mandi, Jalandhar (Punjab), I had similar dreams and aspirations as of any small town girl my age. I was a promising child of doting parents. But soon I started realising that I was different in my physical appearance; my height stopped increasing and I drew curious looks. It hurt. I withdrew from public gaze and started taking a step back in life.

After my admission to Police DAV Public School, I faced new challenges. There was much bullying. Junior students would measure up their height with me and made disparaging remarks. There was support from many friends too, who were ready to fight for me but I would step in to avoid a scene.

Once I was denied participation at a school dance event due to my short height. I love dancing, especially bhangra. But the teacher in-charge didn’t even see how I performed or what my talent was. That incident left a humiliating imprint on my memory. I stopped participating in any co-curricular activities thereto.

At family gatherings, several relatives showed mock concern. Some elders were protective, some would pass snide comments while a few showed sympathy. But no one treated me normally. I wouldn’t react but it pinched. I began to avoid family events too.

While I would put up a brave face in public before other students and relatives, I cried secretly at home. I would curse myself and question God why he made me like this. I asked my mother about my condition and she would always say the Lord has reasons to make someone in a particular way and that if I was born like this I must be special and gifted with some other virtue. I could hardly understand her reasoning.

Kaur with fellow advocates in Jalandhar court, Punjab

After passing out Class 12, I felt relieved that I would not have to attend the school again. I hadn’t even thought of pursuing higher studies. I thought I will now spend rest of my time in the comfort of my family.

A turning point came when I overheard a conversation between my father and brother about his future plans. In our society we are well aware that the plans for a male child are given more importance than a girl child. I realized that my parents had anyways never spoken to me about my future. Possibly, they knew that I was scared of stepping out for further studies. I too had never discussed about my future ever with them.

I realized that even my parents do not expect anything from me. At night, I could not sleep and kept brooding over my future. I could have taken the conversation between my father and brother negatively as well but I decided to do something worthwhile in life. I didn’t want to be a burden on my family. I felt I needed to participate in supporting my family ahead of my brother.

ALSO READ: ‘Quit Despair, Learn To Swim Against Tide’

As a child, I had thought of becoming an airhostess but I now realized that my career choice must help me grow and match my strength and capabilities.

A major flaw of my personality was lack of confidence. Thus to build that confidence, I decided a Law degree will come handy as an instrument of knowledge. In the field of law, your physical appearance doesn’t matter; I would not be judged there by my height if my argument was strong enough to hold.

I took admission in KCL Institute of Laws, Jalandhar. I have to tell you here that everything that I missed out in my school days was duly compensated in the law college. The five years of law were full of good times, like a balm for the bitter memories, thanks to my friends and teachers there.

My parents were proud of my law degree. I felt fulfilled. It was an answer to everyone who doubted my capabilities due to my height. Even before I became an advocate and joined the Jalandhar court for practice, I had become known amongst my colleagues and seniors there because of several appearances in the media. My dreams have changed too. I now want to handle cases related to women and child issues, because they are the ones who cannot stand for themselves. I also wish to crack Judicial services and become a judge.

Kaur with her mother Sukhdeep Kaur and father Shamsher Singh

Meanwhile, joining social media platforms brought further positive changes in my life. I got recognition and much love from people across the country and social spectrum (she has more than 1.12 lakh followers on social media). I love stitching and wearing ethnic salwar suits. During lockdown, I would stitch suits for myself, wear it, make a video and post it. Soon, my videos started getting viral.

At one point in time I didn’t even like getting a photo clicked. All that has changed. I merely enjoy my life and share my joyful times in random posts on social media. That sends a positive message to people that even with a short height she is enjoying her life so much. People who would earlier laugh at me today send me messages asking for solutions to their problems.

Earlier I would look at myself through the eyes of others and cursed myself. Now that I have perfectly accepted myself I am fully enjoying my life. My mother has been my biggest support and strength. My father being a policeman had less time to spend with us due to call of duty but my mom has given her 100 percent. My friends and family always pamper me and because of my short height they find me cute and I do take advantage for that too.

As Told To Mamta Sharma

Examinations Amid The Pandemic

‘Delay In Holding Board Exams Was Getting On My Nerves’

By LokMarg

Supriya Rani, a Class 12 student from Deoghar, Jharkhand, recounts the mental trauma of a child waiting endlessly for her examinations amid the pandemic

I had never thought my first few steps into the grown-up world would be so shaky. I had so many dreams and plans for my Class 12 stint, the last year in school before we joined a university. But coronavirus turned everything upside down. I didn’t get to make new friends, nor could I interact with our teachers in person. Unlike in many schools with Plus 2 provision where the student-teacher bonding has existed for years, and the teacher knows each student’s weaknesses and strengths, we felt stranded.

We were still somehow trudging along, but the persistent delay in holding of Class 12 exams is now beginning to get on my nerves. Just how many times can we study the same things over and over again? You know, you kind of lose vigilance and focus if you are always prepared but the event you are prepared for doesn’t happen. I haven’t seen the face of my college building since the end of my Class 11 term, except for a few days in between when we went to complete the official paperwork for our Board exams.

Online classes weren’t held for us because not everyone has access to smartphones in smaller towns. We were sent study links over WhatsApp groups and that was about it. No Zoom Classes, no video calls. It was my tuition classes that took place in my own street that turned out to be a saviour for me. A batch of 15 students was allowed at a time and we would follow all social distancing measures as well as hygiene practices.

ALSO READ: ‘IPL, Polls Can Be Held, So Why Not Exams?’

Any time someone fell ill due to corona or any other reason, the classes would be called off and Sir would take online classes through video calls. I didn’t want to take up Engineering so I didn’t have to deal with competitive exams being continuously delayed. I want to either do Maths or English Honours for my graduation, given that I love both the subjects so much.

I am not a group study kind of person, but it would have been nice to have at least one friend study with me, so that we could exchange notes and also unwind with each other during breaks. I would have loved to be able to go out during breaks and meet my friends. Seeing your friends over video calls isn’t the same thing as seeing them in person.

Supriya wishes the pandemic to end soon

My parents and two elder brothers have been keeping me motivated and have told me to hold fort for some time, for surely a solution will come up in time. Both my brothers are quite elder to me and have told me I can approach them anytime with either my study-related queries or future-related queries. They say it is equally important to take care of my health and to have a little fun to keep myself energised. I take one hour long walks on the terrace to relax and also help my family with household chores sometimes.

I had plans to go and study in a bigger city, but now with the pall of Covid looming large over us, staying alone in another city for kids just on the brink of adulthood is no more an easy option. Deoghar is relatively a medium-level town and I wonder how the schoolkids have been impacted in rural areas.

Online exams can only be conducted in large cities and not in areas with erractive net connectivity, so that doesn’t seem like a possibility. And what if someone gets infected during the exam dates. Do they lose a whole year for no fault of theirs? I think among all age groups, those of us on the brink of adulthood are the most affected. We can’t even get vaccinated because we aren’t 18 yet. We will need extra support from future institutions of study and workplaces if our generation is to stand strong. May this pandemic get over soon.

Note: The board exams were cancelled by the Central government soon after this Lok Story was published

As told to Yog Maya Singh

The Consecutive Covid Lockdowns of 2020 & 2021

‘At 55, I am selling credit cards on the streets, but won’t lose hope’

By LokMarg

Amod Kumar, 55, has faced a number of ups and downs in life. But the consecutive Covid lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 have come down heavily on him. The only breadwinner of his family, Kumar was jobless since the lockdown was imposed. Now since last month, he is back on the streets, trying to sell credit cards but business is poor.

I still remember some months when I earned nearly Rs 1 lakh. Now those month are like dream. I was a banker till 2017, and then I left my regular job and started doing freelancing with banks to sell credit cards. Business was going really well till the lockdown was imposed. Since there were no people in the offices, there was no one to sell a credit card. My business nosedived to nil. I was jobless for nearly a year with two college-going sons. I had to pay their tuition fees and feed my family. It was a nightmare.

I come from a middle class family, and people like us, who are in plenty, suffered a lot during the lockdown as they cannot go out of the streets like the daily wage labourers asking for help. The mental trauma of being jobless at this age, was unparalleled. My family had never suffered such kind of a situation. There was a time when my elder son, who is a college student, earned some money by working part time at a firm to pay his college fee. It was a terrible feeling, but at the same time, I felt really proud of my son.

I live in Faridabad and I used to travel all the way to Noida to sell credit cards of certain private banks. Business was going good so I didn’t mind the travel time and the pain. For the last two months, I have been back on the streets to sell credit cards, but there are not just enough people. I tried my luck at many places like Nehru Place in Delhi, Film City in Noida and many other hotspots, but all in vain. Now I am focusing on government areas of Lutyen’s Delhi but here too, the number of buyers is very less; negligible to be honest.

The biggest challenge I found during this period was to maintain the middle class lifestyle. We shrunk our expenses, but due to the social obligations, we couldn’t live like those who live in lower strata of the society. Paying college fees, feeding the family, getting the bare minimum to continue in the lifestyle and the society we live in, is still a challenge.

But I am not losing hope. My family is my strength. At this age, I am still roaming on the streets meeting people and trying to convince them to buy a credit card. I will continue till my boys get a job. But, after that, I will have to continue for some time to have some savings. Maybe then I will try my hand in some other business, which is less painstaking. But for now, this is what I am going to do.

The Desperate Journey Back Home

‘Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do’

By LokMarg

Dineshwar Kumar is 22. He was working as a bartender in Mumbai when Covid-19 struck last year. Kumar was one of the millions who made the desperate journey back home, only to have to repeat it this year. He is jobless now.

I don’t know what to say anymore. Just after finishing my studies I left for Mumbai to find work, and things have been going downhill ever since I stepped out to make a living on my own.

I left for Mumbai from my hometown in 2019 and you know how things have been from 2019-end and the beginning of 2020. Last year, I had come down to my hometown in Jharkhand with a whole horde of people by train. I again chose to travel by train this year. I got a Covid test done before boarding the train though, and had tested negative.

Thankfully I am single and could make travel plans quickly. Migrant workers are having to pay exorbitant rates for a seat on the train to their respective hometowns or villages. Where others were paying upto ₹2,000 for a ₹200 ticket, thankfully I only had to pay a fine of ₹1,000. I did not get a seat, I came standing all the way or sitting for some time on the empty space beside the seats. 

I heaved a sigh of relief after reaching home on April 18. Once the partial lockdown was announced in Mumbai I knew things would get serious. I feel sad about the way the pandemic is still continuing to rule our lives. After Unlock, when our lives went back to normal and the number of cases subsided, I thanked God that we had survived the pandemic only to be surprised by it later this year. 

I had gone back to Mumbai around June last year. Thankfully I got back my old job as a bartender, but the hospitality industry wasn’t doing really well. The sector needs a big shot in the arm. 

I am the youngest among siblings and yet this pandemic is something that doesn’t discriminate between people age-wise. Any other time your elders protect you, but the pandemic’s nature is such that it is to each his own.

Dineshwar Kumar at his Jharkhand home

I follow all Covid-related protocols but still feel worried about first my life and then about my livelihood. I wish the State Government takes care of us. They hire youngsters from other states, so shouldn’t they devise a youth outreach programme to see how they can tap the youth? ‘

I used to love my job in Mumbai; big cities teach you to be more confident of your life choices and also learn from others. I wish we have a similar environment in Jharkhand where people from different sectors can meet and learn from each other. We need to broaden the horizon of the state’s youth.

I have been looking for a job since coming to my hometown, but haven’t been successful till now. I believe in individual willpower and strength though and am sure I will make a good life for myself. When the going gets tough, it’s the tough who get going. Tough times do not last long, but tough people do.

As told to Yog Maya Singh

‘It is the collective strength of farmers that has kept the protest going’

By LokMarg

Twenty-nine-year-old dentist from Mansa in Punjab Navkiran Natt has been with her parents at the Tikri Border farmers’ protest site since the stir began in November 2020. She explains the reasons for her continued participation in the protest, underlining the determination of participants.

I have two reasons to be at the protest site. First, being a student youth activist I understand how these policies will impact / harm not only farmers but also every citizen of this country in the long run. I am also here to understand those policies better. Second, I belong to a farmer’s family. Both my parents’ families depend on farming and I know I will be directly affected by these farm laws.

People have not come here to protest for the media glare. Our priority is to get the farm laws repealed and that has not happened till now. So we are still at the Delhi border, with or without media coverage.

We all were well aware that this fight is going to last long; only how long is what we didn’t anticipate. The protesters say they will continue however long it takes. It is not, as many have assumed, that the protest is dying down or that farmers have left the protest site out of disappointment and gone back home. We haven’t seen anything like that till now.

Extreme weather has always been a problem. When the protest started it was winter which had its share of problems. Now with the summer there is a grave risk of malaria and other diseases as flies and mosquitoes are always buzzing around us. There is a big problem of hygiene. It is not easy to sit on the road in Delhi summers. Not to forget the electricity cuts and water scarcity.

We have also started seeing the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 at the protest site. People are getting infected. Eealising the ferocity of the second wave, protestors are however making sure that they take necessary precautions and keep themselves safe. Those who show any Covid-19 symptoms are being tested and made to isolate. Some go back home for the isolation period. I too am suffering from Covid-19 and at present isolated in my hometown. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) also has been encouraging people to get vaccinated. Everyone is collectively making all efforts to reduce / prevent the spread.

Most of our time goes into handling the various initiatives that we started at the protest site. I am the editorial team member of the protest’s very own newspaper Trolley Times and engaged in its distribution as well. Besides that we run a Shaheed Bhagat Singh Library at Tikri and keep meeting people through the day and hold discussions on relevant issues. Not to forget the daily personal routine work like cooking, managing the stage or library.

No effort here is individual; everything is a collective effort. We have zero help from the government: in fact the government has left no stone unturned to stop or crush this protest. From an Internet shutdown to road blockage to the cut in water and electricity supply, it has used all means to stop the protest. I would say it is just the collective strength of the farmers that the protest continues. Many people have come forward to help us with the logistics which is also one of the main reasons that this protest has survived so far.

Women have been a part of this protest in large numbers, probably for the first time in Independent India. It is not possible for them to leave all back home and sit for four months at a stretch like the men, but a call from the leaders or SKM is answered by thousands of women.
Like most other women who are a part of the protest, I would like to emphasize that we are not secondary protestors. It is not just that our fathers, brothers and husbands are here; we are also here because this is our cause too. We consider ourselves as primary protestors here. This protest has motivated women to fight for themselves.

I completed my Master’s degree during the pandemic and was working on independent projects. Of course I lost those; there has been an economic loss. But again our priorities are set, and we all understand that the protest is far more important. I have come across many young students who have dropped a year of their studies just to be a part of the protest. At this point in time, they say, the fight for their rights is more important than studies.

In the larger political context we need broader solidarity against this fascist government and that is what we are working on.

As told to Mamta Sharma

Survive in The Future

Travails of a Migrant Worker

By LokMarg

Mukesh Kumar Das, 28. From Mumbai to Chatra District in Jharkhand, currently jobless.

My mind has stopped working as to how we will survive in the future. Himmat toot Chuki hai (my spirit feels broken). I worry about my parents, wife, and 2 kids. The pandemic has been very, very difficult for us. I had been staying in Mumbai for 5 years prior to the pandemic and was working as a godown manager at an Export/Import firm. Our firm used to import products from China.

First the rift in Indo- China relations and later due to the pandemic our firm had to shut down. Back then I had my whole family there. However, we had hired a car in 2020 when the mass exodus of migrants began and I had to pay a whopping ₹35,000. I had managed that amount by taking loans from here and there.

I had got my family safe and sound without contracting coronavirus to my native place Sima village in Chatra District in Jharkhand and we breathed a sigh of relief when Unlock began. I left my family behind and went to search for work again in December 2020, hoping to find work and to be able to repay the money I had taken as loan to make our trip back home.

This time I stayed with my sister and her husband. After a lot of effort, I found a temporary job a couple of months later only to lose it again during the second deadly wave of coronavirus. What could merely 2 months of earning do? Again, with whatever savings and loans we could manage, this time my sister’s family (her husband and kids) and I again borrowed a car from a friend to make our way back to Jharkhand.

We paid a little less this time than the last time, say about ₹24,000. We reached Jharkhand on April 17 after a partial lockdown was announced a few days ago. We could anticipate what was going to happen. It had taken us 2 nights and a day to make our journey. We had got our tests done and we’re found to be negative, before undertaking the journey. Last time had been too confusing, this time it was better, but it also meant that the karza (debt) kept piling on.

I wonder how I will manage. Ever since I have reached home, I have been contacting everyone on my phone list and asking them if they can help me find work. I am a graduate and I can handle all kinds of work, except the back-breaking work of farming. Ab farming Nahi ho payegi humse. I have seen how much my parents have toiled to educate us and I don’t want my kids’ future to be compromised and I am desperate to find a job.

I am miffed at the Jharkhand government, both current and prior ones. Most migrant labourers in Mumbai, Delhi, and other big cities are from Bihar & Jharkhand mainly. Why can’t our state governments ensure that youths find jobs or have ease of business here in Bihar & Jharkhand itself? The Hemant Soren government needs to address the issue of migrant workers (both skilled and unskilled) and help them and their families resettle.

The education of our children worries us the most. Both the state and central governments need to communicate properly if people like us survive the pandemic. I wish government representatives talked to us. We need robust leadership at all levels so that not a single individual has to suffer. We people have been following all Covid protocols but we need to be assured that our future is in safe hands.

As told to Yog Maya Singh.

Providing Medical Support to Protesting Farmers

‘Media Glare Is Fading, Not The Resolve Of Sikh Farmers’

By LokMarg

Amrit Pal Singh (23), a BBA student who assists a US-based doctor at Tikri Border in providing medical support to protesting farmers, says they are ready to ‘weather’ any challenge

It has been nearly six months of the farmers’ protest, but we are in for the long haul. The numbers might be dwindling par jazba poora barkarar hai (the resolve is firm). You will find many of us from Punjab staying put here until a proper solution is found to the farmers’ grievances. The media interest is also dwindling but we know that those mediapersons who are still coming here are the ones who were truly invested in the issue right from the beginning. It warms my heart to see the exchange of views between protestors and mediapersons; after all interviews are about exchange of views.

I have been assisting Dr Swaiman Singh, a US-based doctor who has set up camp at Tikri Border and has been providing seva non-stop to protesters since January. Apart from registering my voice at the protest, I also serve as his assistant and accountant.

Amrit with Dr Swamiman Singh (seated first from the left)

After taking due permissions, we have turned a local bus depot into a medical camp where we provide basic medicines, first-aid facilities and have provisions for dental as well as eye check-ups. We also provide masks, sanitisers and have been trying to step up the processes here when it comes to Covid testing.

Apart from this, I do seva wherever it is required, right from providing medical support serving langars, to doing basic everyday chores like cleaning the washrooms etc. Summers are fully upon us and the trolleys that kept us safe during winters are now turning into tandoors literally, we can’t sleep in them any longer. So I contribute in the making of temporary bamboo and iron shelters to keep us safe from the heat.

Amrit with his team of medical volunteers at the protest site

While we are providing coolers wherever possible, we farmers are used to working in extreme heat and cold conditions. So extreme weather does not bother us too much. However, we need to take care of our elders and others and hence these shelters.

We had anticipated water shortage in the beginning of summers and we did suffer a bit because of shortage of water and milk, but things are back on track now and we have proper water supply. Dr Swaiman has set up big water filters at regular intervals so that the protesting public can access clean drinking water.

Amrit Pal with fellow protesters at Tikri Border

The recent Baishakhi celebrations provided us with renewed vigour and that day saw a huge rise in numbers. Many common people, artists and sportspersons came to show their solidarity and gave us a much needed shot in the arm. They might have gone back home as of now but they have told us that they are with us in spirit.

We are ready to ‘weather’ anything in order to find a solution to the problems of farmers but we sincerely hope that the government listens to us. Hamare buzurg itna kuch jhel rahe hain, wo sacchai ke liye sab kuch jhel sakte hain to hum bhi jhel sakte hain. They are our guiding light summer or winter cannot dampen our jazba.