From the warfront

I was talking to my brother for the second time since lockdown.. He is a man of few words.. But yesterday was different.. He spoke about lot of things.. and hence this blog.

He sounded devastated. The things that he's seeing everyday is breaking him. Me being in the comfort of my home, with food, shelter, and the luxuries of AC.. could hardly find a word to respond. I just listened. 

He said thousands of people are on the road. Walking to their hometown. He saw a young man... must be 25 years, walking and stopped to give him a ride.. He was on the way to UP from Delhi. By walk! He had no money, no phone. When asked if he ate anything, he said he had food a day ago. My brother had to drop him after about 20 kms, as he had to go in another direction. But his heart was broken for that man, and others he saw on the way. He said, not many stop to help. These people have no other choice but to walk home. Imagine walking with nothing to eat in this weather.

My brother and his colleague drive to Greater Noida, in about 50 mins, which otherwise would take 2 hrs. There they do relief work for about 3000 people. People are in makeshift shelters. They get them food, masks, and other hygenic things necessary. Day in and day out they see people living in bare minimum.

I asked him if he tested for convid. He said he must have got it many times by now, for he's constantly intouch with various people. He quoted dad, ' valzhvadhu sila vara kaalam', You live for few more weeks'. There is nothing to be afraid of. If you die, there will be no burial or friends or around not even a pastor, who probably is afraid of dying.. he joked. He wasn't sure, how long this would go on. If its for a month, then ok.. but after that? Since Covid is in Community phase now, and if things get worse, which they probably will, we have to get ready for mass burial.


Eficor is working in Delhi with Wipro fund, in Musahar community of Bihar with Individual fund. He told me search for them and you'll find how terrible their living is. Just did a google search. Musahar infact means rat eaters. They are downtrodden and struggling for their livelihood. Covid in this mix, is going to be pretty rough.  Eficor is also working in UP, some place he said. They have helped about a lakh peopl.. In another month, they may cover a total of 2 lakhs, but after that? He said, even in Eficor, they had very few people on the frontlines. Can't blame them. Can we? The need is much. the workers are few. May we not stop to do what we can.  We ended the call with a heavy heart. 

May the government be led by God. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Proverbs 21:1