Our lives may now be punctuated by an indefinite pause owing to
the Covid Virus spread, creating an anxious situation with an extended lockdown
like never before. But as always, it’s the human spirit that gives us many
examples of overcoming all odds, thinking about the lesser fortunate and
creating a community bond that goes beyond one’s own self care and
preservation.
In Goa, Luna Female Dorms in Anjuna was among the first to offer
their hostel space to all ladies stranded in Goa without a place to stay.
“People were being turned away or stranded given this unexpected situation and
that made us want to reach out for their safety,” says Ryan Volado, owner of
Luna Dorms and continues, “My sister who runs another hostel called ‘Bunkd’,
had a lot of check outs but because of the cancelled flights, a lot of these
tourists returned to the hostel. Now, they are all staying together and as a
community, they buy provisions and food, adhering to all hygiene measures to
cope with this situation.”
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Considering the elderly population in Goa stands most at threat
and social distancing makes matters worse, a group of volunteers led by Cecil
Pinto have come together to offer services to the elderly, infirmed and
disabled in Aldona. Through their community page called Aldona Matters on
Facebook, Cecil was able to rope in a dozen well meaning volunteers. “The
elderly especially those living alone have a huge problem procuring medicines
or even basic provisions. Our intent is to be linked to our local pharmacist,
Savio Figueiredo and the Primary Health Care Centre. Most of the older people
have their files or papers registered at the Primary Health Care Centre. All
they have to do is take a pic of their prescriptions and we can help procure it
from the pharmacy and deliver it to their homes,” says Cecil.
While concerns for social distancing and hygiene are paramount
especially in a situation like this, these citizens seem to have worked out the
best precautionary measures as mandated, taking it upon themselves to ensure
safety. Aastha Society in Mapusa that also runs a school for special children
has taken the initiative to distribute free meals to the elderly and daily wage
labourers. Rajesh Khedekar, a caterer by profession and a member of Aastha
Society confirms saying, “We have taken permission from the Police and adhere
to all hygiene requirements. We have doctors in our team too who are part of
this initiative and are ready to roll this out for people in Mapusa, Porvorim
and Pernem. They have to call 08322266388 or 08322265588 to give us their
details.”
‘Over the Flames’- a restaurant in Calangute put up an update on
their social media page announcing free food of ‘dal, rice and sabzi’ for
construction and daily wage labourers. “Service to Mankind is Service to Goa,”
reads their update, making it known that lunch and dinner is available at their
outlet daily and for free!
Trying to be more upbeat in trying times, Karan Khosla, founder
of Goa Jazz Academy has come up with a novel idea of teaching the basics of
guitar over a free five week online course (goajazacademy. com/5weekguitar).
“There’s no better time than now to learn and teach new skills,” declares a
cheery Karan. He continues, “As a guitarist and teacher, I find it hard to find
time to practise. Now, given the restrictions we are under, it seemed best to
introduce a structured programme that helps someone from being zero at guitar
to being able to know the chords and play the basics in five weeks. Instead of
being frustrated sitting at home, it’s better to connect with other people
albeit virtually.”
A
crisis brings out the best and the worst in humans and perhaps gives us an
insight into how we, the ‘intelligent’ species learn to adapt. On a spectrum of
shades that humanity represents, these people give us the best example of our
power in responding to challenges. With some help and backing from government
authorities, this outreach from civil society can go a long way in ensuring we
collectively overcome this trying time in keeping with all the precautionary
mandates. Let’s hope we get to the safe side, soon.
