As Covid-19 demands distancing, it also kindles human relationships

Tales of warmth and humanity from complete strangers that lit the way for stranded Nagaland citizens

Our Reporter
Dimapur, June 19 (EMN): The nationwide lockdown had left many Nagas working and living outside the state helpless, some homeless, and many desperate to get back to Nagaland.

While the state government had arranged many special trains, buses and other means of transportation to bring them back home, besides giving financial support to those who had decided to stay back, there were many good Samaritans across the country who helped citizens of Nagaland get home to be with their near and dear ones.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, the convener for the Covid relief committee of Delhi Ao Arogo Trust (DAAT), Lanu Yaden, said that complete strangers had gone out of their way to help Nagas in distress not only in the country’s capital city but also in other states like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and others.

In Delhi, apart from many Naga elders, DAAT members, student bodies, Nagaland House staff and individuals contributing from sanitisers and masks to food packets, biscuits and snacks were donated while bottled water was provided at nominal cost by the manufacturers in Ghaziabad and Sahibabad, in Uttar Pradesh.

It was informed that the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara managing committee, the Rakab Ganj Gurudwara also provided assistance and provided fresh-cooked food to all passengers and volunteers at Ambedkar Stadium on June 14, the day of the departure of stranded Nagas from Delhi via the Shramik special train.

Even though the Gurudwaras were already accommodating frontline workers at their hostels in Delhi, Yaden said that the executive members still wanted to help the Nagas and thus provided food to more than 700 people (including volunteers) before their departure.  He added that the Delhi government, Delhi Police and the NDMC facilitated the medical screening and identification of the passengers, and provided packed dinner for the first day of their journey.

“A special request was made to the director general, Railway Protection Force (RPF) to provide security in the train, while the government railway police of Lucknow and Patna divisions assured adequate security arrangements within their jurisdiction,” he added.

In Bengaluru, many were left homeless after the special train to Dimapur was postponed. After appraising the matter to authorities, the Karnataka government, officials from GST commissionerate, Bengaluru and the PWD department also made sure that the stranded Nagas were given temporary accommodations till they could leave for home, it was informed.

Yaden shared another incident where officials from Uttar Pradesh made generous and selfless contributions for the six buses from Noida, Agra, Lucknow and Azamgarh to Nagaland.

“Coming at a time when northeasterners are stigmatised as bearers of Covid-19, many officials provided security for the Nagas as they faced some situations along the way,” informed Yaden.

He added that DIGP, CISF (Allahabad), DIGP SSB (Gorakhpur), DIGP SSB (SHQ Gangtok), and Deputy Commandant (SO to DIGP CRPF Guwahati) ensured that they were provided with security, food and passes to cross borders to reach Nagaland.

Food relief were also provided to Nagas in Kolkata and Siliguri by IGP CID, CB Odisha and IG, SSB (frontier HQ Patna).