Social Solidarity In The Time Of Physical Distancing
Sangita Das
As the contagious COVID-19 started wreaking havoc on the health sector and social harmony, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) did not think twice before jumping onto the forefront with many helping measures. One such step was to release a set of helpline numbers to reach out to people who were running India day and night — the working class. A lockdown implemented with great haste have jeopardised their daily lives, of which a large section commute for work everyday. They were stuck without any work across the country and our responsibility was to assist them.
A few stories will shed light on the daily perils they had to go through.
Story 1: Jahar Ali from Baghbar of Barpeta, Assam, had to leave for Kerala to earn a living for his family back in the village. He is currently employed in construction works. Around 150 workers from Assam’s Barpeta and West Bengal including Ali are now stuck in Kerala without any work. They had to survive on their savings until it had started depleting. Whatever food they could buy and keep would only last for a very few days. They were really helpless and trying to figure out how to survive.
Story 2: This man started talking in broken Hindi after picking up our call. He immediately switched to native “Goalparia” dialect after hearing Assamese on the other side. And then began enquiring whether the north eastern state government would take him and his co-workers back home. The agony in not being with family now and fear for life was very clear in his voice. This man and many of his mates were from Western Assam- Raniganj and Fakiragram to be specific. They were working in a company at Secundrapuram (please verify this name, ‘cause I find it very unusual) to earn a living which abruptly got stuck with this lockdown. With very less money left, their lives were at a dead end in an unknown place like Kerala.
Story 3: Karbi Anglong, the Hill District in Assam is known for its natural beauty. Along with natural beauty there is penury. Bishnu Timung from Karbi Anglong works in a company in Malappuram, Kerala. Along with Timung, nine of the workers from Karbi Anglong got stuck in their workplace lockdown and there was severe shortage of essential commodities.
Story 4: All of them are a young bunch of boys from Biswanath Chariali in the northern Bank of Assam. They could not proceed with studies due to poor financial condition. Not many options were left for Dinesh and his fellow mates as even farming was becoming less prosperous without enough land. Kerala provides wages three fold to what they were getting back at Assam. They would have spent a peaceful life in Kerala unless the havoc created by Corona put a stop to it. As living thousand miles away from home, they were spending sleepless nights in hunger.
These people hurriedly contacted SFI Assam State Committee after the release of helpline numbers. And we immediately got in touch with comrades back in Kerala. A team of volunteers immediately reached out to the suffering workers with food and further assured all assistance during this crisis. Many of them were intimated about the community kitchen set up run by local government bodies to provide food for free. It was a sudden and great relief to them and have later informed us of feeling secure.
They praised the Kerala Government for the instant support but are worried about their family in Assam. We did not give any false promise about their families but assured that the Kerala government would be there to help as they were not being treated as migrants but guests. This is how comrades in Kerala helped workers from Assam. There are more than hundred such groups that received assistance from SFI and the CITU in Kerala.
Workers from West Bengal are stuck in many parts of Assam such as Jorhat, Goalpara, Cachar, Karimganj, Guwahati, Hajo, Palashbari, As soon as comrades of Bengal reached out to SFI Assam, we took responsibility and provided the workers with immediate relief. Also, SFI has rendered every help to the needy with all its strength throughout the state. However, much remains to be done. The state government cannot shy away from these responsibilities we have taken up.
In the hour of this deepening medical crisis, when physical and social distancing is the prescribed preventive caution, our comrades in Assam and across India are reaching out to people in distress. Helpline numbers to provide support have been issued across the state and country in general. We also try to assist the authorities fighting the pandemic with all our resources at disposal and hope it will be a role model for all.
Sangita Das is a Central Secretariat Member of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI).
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