We saw a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases during April, making India the worst struck country officially. Life came to a standstill as lockdowns across the states were imposed. Healthcare infrastructure is nearly broken with the sudden load, leading to a chaotic frenzy that is still unrolling. When people were left on their own, the common man decided to take the onus of dealing with the catastrophic result of this unmanaged pandemic.
Even in these grim times, the local heroes who expected nothing in return were the silver lining. Here are the 5 brave hearts who came through this extreme adversity, and kudos for their selfless efforts.
1 Licypriya Kangujam
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Nine-year-old Licypriya Kangujam, one of the youngest climate activist in our country, is helping to fight the oxygen crisis. She has been pooling in funds and spending her own savings to arrange for oxygen cylinders. So far, she has procured 10 pieces of 5L oxygen concentrators and is hustling to manage more.
2. Edhi Foundation
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Pakistan’s well-known humanitarian trust, Edhi Foundation, came forward to help India conquer the ongoing battle with Coronavirus. Faisal Edhi, son of the late founder Abdul Sattar Edhi, wrote to PM Modi, offering a fleet of 50 ambulances filled with equipment, medical staff and technicians to support our exhausted medical system.
3. Rasik Mehta And Kalpana Mehta
Rasik and Kalpana Mehta, a couple from Gujrat, who lost their only son because of Covid-19, decided to spend their entire savings to help those in need. The duo broke their fixed deposit worth Rs 15 lakhs prematurely for the treatment of other patients who are fighting the virus. Besides this, they have also taken the effort to get more than 350 people vaccinated while distributing essential kits to over 200 people in quarantine.
4. Shahnawaz Shaikh
Shahnawaz Shaikh, a.k.a oxygen man of Mumbai, is a local resident who is helping save lives by providing oxygen, especially to those quarantining at home. Disturbed by the death of a dear one in an auto-rickshaw gasping for breath, made him take the matter into his own hands. He sold his Ford Endeavour SUV for twenty-two lakhs and started an NGO called Unity and Dignity Foundation. Through this initiative, he is organising 50 cylinders per day.
5. Pyare Khan
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Pyare Khan, an entrepreneur from Nagpur, has spent Rs eighty-five lakh to collect 400 metric tonnes of medical liquid oxygen for government hospitals in Nagpur. While the administration offered to pay him for the same, he refused it by saying that it’s his duty ‘zakat’ (charity) for the holy month of Ramadan.
Thank you to all the humanitarians who are going above and beyond to do their bit during this difficult period. We see you, and we appreciate you!
