By Azmathulla Shariff

Bengaluru, July 18, 2020: As a journalist with a regional news channel, I was a mute recipient of the Coronavirus crisis news like other journalistic fraternity across India.

Initially, the pandemic impact was ignored by the Government of India as they were busy toppling the legally elected governments for their selfish ends. This delayed the preparedness of the health ministry to sense the alert of the deadly virus intruding India. By the time the government of India woke up, it was very late.

Initial steps to check the spread of the virus were confined to few kiosks on the pandemic at the airports but other public places were ignored. The ruling clan was busy with political circus being enacted by the so-called leaders who were playing politics at the cost of Corona related deaths being reported.

Primarily, the checks were confined to those entering India from abroad particularly those coming from China, Italy, Iran and Dubai. This followed by alarming situations across the globe particularly China, Italy, the US, France and Spain as deaths were mounted in mass in these countries.

Till then the deaths caused by Corona in India were minimal, which could have been arrested if timely action was taken. But the federal government was busy pleasing its new found love for Donald Trump by the Indian premier who ignored all warnings issued by WHO. Then was a sudden shift, as the Indian premier made an important televised address followed by untimely lockdown to which the country was not prepared.

This was a time when the migrant labour communities working in major cities got the shock of their life and restless as they were left at the mercy of Almighty. It was a testing time for the entire nation as most of the migrants were left with no choice but to suffer in silence. Most of the labours were dependent on the daily wages for survival.

Untimely lockdown, imposed to contain the spread of the virus, created a sense of insecurity among the employers and employees as there was a sudden shift in businesses with a downslide trend and dwindling economy in the manufacturing sectors in major cities particularly, Delhi, Noida, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai and Bengaluru. This created a gulf between the haves and have not’s as labourers continue to reel under the sufferings with no work no pay kind of a situation. Some establishments having a humane approach and kind heart provided timely relief, but this was not enough to maintain during a prolonged lockdown. Gaining a situation of beg borrow and steal at the railway stations, bus stands and other public places.

Till this time, the federal government woke up to address the reality and started seeking funds from business houses to maintain a check on the pandemic in mass by started working on multiple fronts.

As no relief in sight, the government started giving sops to certain sectors by appealing establishments to have a humane approach towards their employees. It was a time that the mass migration had started from metros by the migrant labourers to go back to the native by whatever means of transport available to them.

The situation in Bengaluru was no different from the rest of India as the migrant labourers particularly the Odia labour community started a backward journey to their soil in Odisha.

It was also a time that the mass transport system had come to stand still and collapsed and the panic grew. Here many nongovernmental organizations entered to control the situation, philanthropic activity grew with a coordinated approach to provide timely food just not enough for survival.

The generosity of Indians was visible as people cutting across faiths roped in to provide timely relief. Distress calls were being made from various quarters, particularly from the members of Odia migrant labour community seeking timely aid in the form of food and groceries. Till such time the rich Odia community in Bengaluru did not affect, otherwise are fond of organising events after events in good times.

Somehow, few members initiated steps to bring the matter to the fore by involving both the governments of Karnataka and Odisha what followed was a video conferencing between the Chief Minister of Karnataka B. S. Yediyurappa and his counterpart in Odisha Naveen Patnaik.

Just before this, a task force was formed under the leadership of Chairperson Malavika Avinash to address the alarming situation and feed the needy. It was a time for me to act to address the concern as put before me by the members of the migrant labour community and took the task as my bound duty. I started running from pillar to post to address the issue as it was alarming, people in tears and were full of owes as they were getting emotional, sorrow and helpless.

I took it up as a challenging task ahead to work with those who had come forward to support the have not’s in crisis. Initially, I tried to source out support from my family and friends who stood by me to do there a bit of contribution available at disposal.

Time tested friend and an educationist came forward that was fair enough to provide one time kits that could last for a month in a locality called Macholli Forest Gate in Bengaluru Urban. This was followed by opening another front at the Silk Board Odia cluster; Peenya industrial areas, Bidadi industrial area, Jigni Industrial Estate, Yashwathpur industrial area and Yalhanka industrial areas name few places where relief was carried.

Amid crisis, I was shuttling between localities to localities providing relief from pick and drop kind of a situation in the form of cooked food and sometimes groceries, mostly individually and sometimes collectively.

It was also a time when governments had negotiated to operate limited special trains to ferry migrants after alarming casualties reported from across India by those who had undertaken a journey by foot and bicycles to go back to their desired destinations.

It was again a time testing happenings as providing information for those wanting to leave Bengaluru with coordinated train timings and locations from a collective point at the Palace Grounds where every member was screened and provided passes to travel back to Odisha.

My friends had been warning to be careful of the Corona pandemic, but I had my bound duty to provide timely help was also a task as am working with an Odia news channel.

During this, a special Corona swab test for journalists was held at C V Raman Hospital in Bangalore for journalists and I was found negative.

A similar screening after a couple of months, which was held at a government general hospital at Yelhanka, a sample was taken for Covid test where I was tested positive for the same. This was followed by intimation to identify and get admitted into an institutional quarantine center.

It was a time when I received a flood of calls from my friends who gave valuable advice and suggestions. Based on their advice I got admitted into an institutional quarantine center that lasted for 10 days from the day of sampling till the discharge.

I spent time with the quarantine center where I took utmost care as advised by medical staff and followed by home quarantine where I am feeling better. Much before I was contracted by Corona, I was conferred as a Corona warrior by the Sree Jaganath Temple Trust unknowingly that I will be tested Corona positive.

As time has passed, the Corona cases are whooping an upward graph. This has created concern among the medicos despite all efforts are being made to counter the pandemic. Though the government has converted several institutions spaces into the makeshift quarantine centres, time will tell as to what extent the efforts of the state government have impacted in counter the Covid-19 pandemic in Bengaluru.

(Azmathulla Shariff is a journalist based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Views are personal).