Covid-19 - Unsung Samaritans - Huge Respect

 

                                                 Covid-19- Unsung Samaritans – Huge Respect

This pandemic has adversely impacted each and every one of us in some way or the other. Every news channel competes with the other to ensure that its viewership is increased by feeding sensational and often one sided news. Various political parties are trying their best to exploit the pandemic to score political points at the cost of public welfare. The print media is not far behind and try their best to further create panic and hopelessness among the public. Also, there are some ghastly disgusting cases of individuals trying to make some fast money by black-marketing the life savings drugs and also by supplying spurious medicines.

 USA has one of the best healthcare infrastructures, resources at its command and money. But still it underwent immense struggle during Covid surge. There were acute shortages of medications, PPE kits, even syringes and needles used in hospitals. There was no room to store bodies in the morgues and the funeral homes were inadequate. Many people lost jobs.

Many of us are clueless about the agony and sufferings of the US population because, the media in the USA was a little more responsible with the reporting. People, regardless of their political ideology or religious leanings came together as one to help each other. They didn’t make it a Republican Vs Democrat issue. Communities pitched in, they understood the limitations of the government and the healthcare sector, including pharmaceutical industries. No one even thought about black marketing essential medicines, oxygen cylinders and no one tried to make an extra buck at the cost of other people’s lives. There is still some integrity, humanity and compassion remaining in general public in the USA. It is time the vested interests in our country stop shaming India and focus on how best to alleviate the sufferings of the fellow countrymen.

  In the midst of this calamity, some simple and unknown individuals have emerged as great Samaritans by their actions and selfless deeds.  

There are many such benevolent angels. This post just focuses on seven such unsung heroes:

 Narayanrao Dabhadkar, this Nagpur based 85 year old, who himself was barely able to breath, gave away his oxygen bed, which was secured by his relatives after a lot of running around, to a 40 year old. He told the perplexed medical staff that he was 85 and had lived his life and the bed reserved for him needed to be given to the young man.

 Kalyanasundaram, worked as a librarian for 30 years. He donated his entire salary to help the needy and worked as a waiter in a hotel to meet his needs. He even donated his entire pension amount of over Rs. 10 lakhs. Being the first person in the world to donate the entire lifelong earnings for a social cause, the American Government honoured him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs. 30 crore as the part of the award, and he entirely donated this also. He still works and stays as a bachelor, dedicating his entire life for the society with no possessions / assets.

 Jitendra Shinde, a rickshaw driver from Kolhapur, Maharashtra has given free hospital trips to more than 1000 patients ever since the break out of the pandemic in March 2020, greatly risking his health and personal finances. At a time when the ambulances charge a huge and unreasonable amount of money even for a small distance, this Samaritan ferries the Covid patients for free.

Sukhdeep Singh, a 26 year old management graduate from Pillai Institute of Management Studies & Research, New Panvel volunteered to distribute food to the migrant labourers since the first lock down in March 2020. This youth distributed food prepared by the Gurudwara of Panvel, also supported by Pillai Group of Institutions, New Panvel to more than 10K migrants per day, till the first lockdown was lifted, risking his life.

 While there have been several incidents where hospitals have charged exorbitant fees to patients, a noble gesture of a doctor from Aurangabad a city in Maharashtra has come to the limelight during these tough times. Altaf Shaikh, a urologist with a multispecialty hospital waived off the entire fee when he came to know that his patient is the mother of a martyr who sacrificed his life for his country. When everyone looks to exploit and capitalise in the current situation, this noble gesture from the doctor deserves praise.

A self-made man from Nagpur, Pyare Khan, reportedly spent Rs. 85 lakh to ensure 400 metric tonnes of medical liquid oxygen reached government hospitals in and around Nagpur, saving the lives of hundreds of people. It is also reported that even though the administration offered to pay him for the oxygen transportation, Pyare Khan refused, saying that the expenditure was his duty bound ‘zakat’ during the holy month of Ramzan.

Shahnawaz, the ‘Oxygen Man’ of Mumbai, sold his Rs. 22 lakh SUV to help Covid patients. With the money got after selling his Ford Endeavor, this man bought 160 oxygen cylinders to give to the needy.

These are only a few cases which highlight the truth that the main tenets of every religion is only love, compassion, empathy, sacrifice and service to the needy. India is one such great country where people from different religions, faiths and beliefs live together and support others in times of need. It is only some vested interest groups who try to divide the people along the narrow religious lines to fulfil their ulterior dangerous motives.  

 Indeed, the patriotic song in Urdu – ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara’ by the great poet Muhammad Iqbal, captures all the features of our country in a single line!

 My country has problems, limitations and every other evil ……Majority of the population is spiritual oriented, but many blatantly indulge in unethical and corrupt practices……..With all these contradictions, I still, love my country and proud to be an Indian!