Stories Behind the Mask

I believe if we want to help, we can help even one person and fulfil our duty. और पता है क्या, मुझे ना नींद बहुत अच्छी आती है.

Throughout the day, the station would be filled with nearly 1 to 1.5 lakh migrants eager to reach their homes. It was so crowded that the lines of masses waiting for their trains would extend to the top of the flyover connected to the station. I’ve witnessed some heartbreaking scenes there........

My phone number essentially became a hunger helpline – it was shared as a Covid helpline as a part of many toolkits. Sometimes I got calls as late as 3 AM and I woke up to at least 35 missed calls a day in March and April 2021. I tried my best to answer as many calls as possible. We faced a harsh reality that our city, state and country do not have a functional crisis management system.

when I stepped on-field, I responded with my camera - I wanted to speak and document the people who had started their journey back home on foot. Most times I didn’t have the heart to continue to shoot; when they started to share their stories.....

The following post was penned by Anand as a part of his Instagram call for action. Anand's reflections are based on his experience on the ground during the relief operation in 2021 during the second wave of Covid-19 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Two days after my brother reached home, all trains across the country were stopped. If he hadn't gotten on that train that day, he would have been stranded thousands of kilometers away from home, as a migrant. So when I got the opportunity to volunteer to feed migrants in my own city, I just couldn't resist.

'The smile on their faces when I hand them over hot, freshly cooked meals - Priceless!'

I didn’t think much of the fact that I was a newbie in the city. I just took my car and, with the help of a fellow volunteer and Google maps, started distributing food to the needy, five days a week.

रिज़्क तक़दीर का,खुद उड़के चला आता है, पर जो दिया है, मेरे मालिक ने, हर एक दाने को । That's what you are bringing us - Food blessed by the divine. There is no service higher than this.”

'When I realized that we were delivering food to people just like me, this became more than just work'

There were three or four of us at the beginning, now we have more than a hundred volunteers. वो कहते है ना, लोग जुङते गए और कारवां बनता गया । As more ninjas came along, the caravan got longer.

''अगर हम घर से निकलेंगे तो किसि और के घर का चुल्ह जलेगा। Only if we step out, will someone’s stove light up"