One year of lockdown: How heroes from Mumbai helped survive the pandemic

The coronavirusinduced lockdown led to Mumbai local trains coming to a halt migrants burning their soles to walk back home jobs lost and the economy coming to a standstill But true grit emerges only in the face of adversity Here are some stories of people from across Maharashtra who braved all odds and survived the pandemicMumbairsquos lsquoCovid Santarsquo who gave joy and masksIn December last year a man dressed as Santa Claus was seen carrying out sanitisation and distributing masks in Rani Lakshmi Chowk area of Mumbai The man Ashok Kurmi president of Sion friend Circle Foundation said ldquoI used to celebrate Christmas every year by distributing toys chocolates and gifts to underprivileged kids but this year due to the massive spread of COVID19 I decided to sanitise bus stands autos and other placesrdquoMumbai A man dressed as Santa Claus carried out sanitization amp distributed masks to people in Rani Lakshmi Chowk areaHe says Every year I used to distribute chocolates and gifts to children but this year I decided to contribute my bit to fight against COVID19 Christmas pictwittercomDO4UHyG5Kfmdash ANI ANI December 18 20205star chef who lost job sells biryani on roadside to make a livingMumbaibased Chef Akshay Parkar had a fancy job in international luxury cruises fivestar and sevenstar hotels However the pandemic led to him getting fired from a place where he had worked for 8 yearsBut this didnrsquot deter him he opened a roadside stall and started selling 5star quality biryani to eke a livingMotherinlaw undergoes chemo this nurse was still on dutyA nurse in the COVID19 ward of Hiranandani Hospital in Vashi had two daughters aged 3 and 6 and motherinlaw was undergoing chemotherapy but still she went for dutySpeaking to Instagram handle lsquoHumans of Bombayrsquo the nurse said ldquoMy daughters are only 3 and 6 years old so when I left for duty as a nurse in the Covid Ward at Hiranandani Hospital Vashi we didnrsquot tell them I would be gone for long But when they realised they wouldnrsquot stop crying My motherinlaw is undergoing chemo and my mother has heart disease My motherinlaw is losing her hair and is constantly vomiting but she still video calls and says ldquoHamari beti apni duty nibha rahi hairdquoView this post on InstagramA post shared by Humans of Bombay officialhumansofbombayMumbai Restaurateur launched 247 outreach to make hospital beds ambulance availableIn April Marzy Parakh a restaurateur and philanthropist launched a helpline by tapping his network of doctors hospital staff and citizensWe divided city hospitals amongst us one person would be in charge of around 10 Whenever someone would call in with a request we would check with our sources and get back in five minutes he saidMarzy Parakh at his Worli home PicAtul KambleNashik Speciallyabled woman becomes sarpanch of 2 villagesKavita Bhondwe 34 did not let her physical disability stop her from serving the people of two villages in Dindori Taluka Nashik district Bhondwe who became Sarpanch at the age of 25 is now serving a second term Succeeding as sarpanch was a personal challenge for her as she overcame societal pressures and prejudices against her She brought significant changes in gram panchayats affairs and stood up against illegal practices in the regionShe gives credit to her father for encouraging her to contest the electionMaharashtra A 34yearold speciallyabled woman is serving the society as Sarpanch of 2 villages in Dindori Taluka Nashik district Currently in her 2nd term Kavita Bhondwe made changes in Gram Panchayats affairs amp stood up against illegal practices in Dahegaon amp Waglud pictwittercomOlwZD6kGWUmdash ANI ANI November 24 2020Anganwadi staffer rowed 18km daily to tend to newborns pregnant women in villagesA 27yearold woman staffer of Anganwadi rowed 18km daily along the Narmada to look after tribal babies and pregnant women in two Maharashtra hamlets after the fear of COVID19 kept the group of tribals from coming to herRelu Vasave is a resident of Nashik and grew up near Narmada where she learned swimming She borrowed a boat from a local fisherman and started visiting the hamlets of Aligat and Dadar in April so that 25 newborn babies and 7 pregnant women do not miss out on proper medical care and nutritionBeing an Anganwadi member she was supposed to keep checking the weight health and proper growth of newborns and their mothers ldquoIt is not easy to row every day My hands pain by the time I am back home in the evening But that doesnt worry me Its important that babies and expecting mothers eat nutritious food and remain healthy I will keep visiting these hamlets till things improve on the COVID19 frontrdquo Relu told ANIMaharashtra Relu Vasave an Anganwadi worker from Nandurbar rows 18 km daily to attend to children under 6 yrs of age amp expecting mothers in interior villagesShe says Rowing daily is tough but its important that babies amp expecting mothers eat nutritious food amp be healthy pictwittercomY7ObYdVfSEmdash ANI ANI November 23 2020