Positive Story of the Day: The Khan’s and the Common’s come to rescue of Covid affected

Prianca Nagi preparing Covid thalis in Noida

In India, amidst a devastating second wave of Covid-19 induced pandemic, where the Central Government performance is seen to be absolutely dismal, the shining stars are the common Citizens or the Film Actors.

We have been seeing cases of common men and women stepping out of their comfort zone and standing by those who need help. It should be pointed out that many of these common citizens did not have the wherewithal of financial resources, but then too they have come out without the fear of contacting the virus, and have done a yeoman’s service for the teeming millions who have been infected or affected by Covid or the lockdown. Most of those who were involved in alleviation of miseries in the second wave either dipped on their own savings or on crowd funding.

There are numerous examples of common people becoming Covid-Stars like a Nagpur-citizen Pyare Khan who spent 85 lakhs to supply oxygen or Jawed Khan converting his auto into an ambulance (by selling his wife’s gold bangles) in Bhopal or Chef Radhika Khandelwal in Delhi or Prianca Nagi in Noida distributing free meals to Covid infected or Devendra a school teacher from Jharkhand who procured a cylinder and drove non-stop to Delhi to save a life or Noori Khan who donated her plasma to Manohar Lal Rathore by breaking her fast in ramzan.

Mauris Noronha from Mumbai, has gone a step further and is helping by buying food from around 170 food vendors (which is further distributed to the poor and needy), getting LPG cylinders filled for well over 300 families, distributing vegetables, medicines, face masks, hand sanitizers and even PPE kits to the frontline warriors.

Smaller congregation of people also rose up to occasion – take the case of Usaid Khan and Captain Khalid and their friends who dipped into their savings to buy Oxygen Concentrators, Oxygen Cylinders and ensuring constant refilling of these cylinders and supplying it to South Delhi-based Kalindi Hospital, or a loosely held whatsapp group members called ‘Delhi Relief Collective’ which helped thousands in their quest of Remdesivir, essential medicines, oxygen concentrator, admission in hospitals, plasma or oxygen or a group ‘Purani Dilli ki Batein’ which waded into unknown waters, even though it a culture based collection of like-minded people from Old Delhi.

If the common citizens and small groups were on the forefront how could the NGOs be far behind? NGOs like WhoIsHussain, Akshay Patra, SEEDS, Khalsa Aid International have been engaged in grassroots level aid this year. This was also due to paucity of the larger Aid Organisations whose fund taps were literally choked by red tape thanks to new laws by the Central Government. A notable NGO which has done commendable job was Okhla-based Roshan Educational Fund which helped many in paying their school/college fees, supplying books, stationery or even internet enabled-tablets or Gurudwaras and Mosques across the country who opened their doors to needy in form of cooked food, dry rations, medical services or oxygen facilities.

During such grim times the status of daily-wage film industry workers’ situation was also deteriorating by the day due to both the pandemic and the resultant lockdown. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees brought this to the knowledge of Bollywood Star Salman Khan. Following the request, the Box-office Star who is known for his big heart has pledged to donate Rs 1,500 to each of these 25,000 industry workers.

Salman Khan’s philanthropy is well known. His generosity and big heart has earned him a soliloquy of “Bhai” in the industry. Maybe, due to the faith in his giving nature, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees approached him. Those who will benefit from this includes technicians, make-up artists, stuntmen, and spot boys. Last year too he had donated cart-loads of ration from his farmhouse where he was stuck during the lockdown.

Federation of Western India Cine Employees had also shared a list of 35,000 senior citizen workers which has been sent with Yash Raj Films and they have agreed to help in principle. The production house will be paying Rs 5000 and a monthly ration for a family of four.

A few weeks back, Salman had also distributed food packets to nearly 5,000 frontline workers through his philanthropic initiative. Apart from these latest initiatives he has announced that his forthcoming film’s ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai’, produced by the actor’s own production house will donate earnings from the film towards COVID relief.

Another scintillating example is that of nation’s new darling Film Star Sonu Sood who has not only donated huge amounts for Covid affected but has also erected a huge network of volunteers across the country. Since last year when he started helping stranded migrant labourers reach their homes to helping them for Food Rations he has been in the thick of things. This year, even though he was Covid infected, he is into everything that is related with Covid helping people out of this crises. He and his ever-growing team of help-givers have provided aid in hospital admissions, oxygen cylinders, oxygen plants, oxygen concentrators, medical injections or even in funerals. Other Film stars who have donated big and on a regular basis are Shah Rukh Khan, Saif-Kareena, Ajay Devgn-Kajol, A R Rahman, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, Sara Ali Khan and Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar.

Some Entrepreneurs and Industrialists have also helped those in distress notable being Azim Premji, Sridhar Vembu (of Zoho) and Tatas. Most of what they have donated by big industrialists has been missed by media maybe because they aided the PM CARES fund which has been mired in controversy of non-transparency of where the funds are being utilised.

Those missing in action are mostly the politicians, mainly from the ruling party in the Centre, political parties masquerading as cultural bodies, or the big Cricketers who had the demi-God status in India. Even though there are exceptions in this like Kohli, Pathan brothers or Zaheer Khan (the rest either did not or their aid was just a customary small change in respect to their earnings).