Page 24 - Y Mind

Seby Varghese SJ

The VicTims of Lockdown – A shAring from A
T he V ic T ims of L ockdown – A sh A ring from A

re L ief c A mp
reLief cAmp

spent the month of May at a relief camp that I had ample time to listen to the mi-
I was started at St. Stanislaus High School, grant workers. Most had lost their jobs and
Bandra in Mumbai. My job was mainly to care had run out of their savings. Some, who were
for them and make necessary arrangements maids, were just asked to leave from the em-
for their travel home to their villages. While ployer’s house. A few unfortunate, who ven-
the camp was particularly for the “migrants” tured out to find some means to go home,
we ended up having a sizeable number of were never allowed to return to their locality.
homeless Mumbaikars. While at the job, I While their stories were painful at times, they
was posed with some challenges and unex- also taught me to have hope despite all odds.
pected situations. While we found a solution One of them said, “I have to face my destiny.
for most of them, some were unanswered. But I know …. God will provide. If not here,
To begin with, while admitting a migrant somewhere else.” Isn’t this faith? I wondered.
to our camp I was posed with questions like They were all strangers, yet they lived
– Is this person genuine? What if he or she is as one family, for days together, making face
infected with COVID? I had reasons for doubt. shields, helping in chores and other works.
While some were asked to leave by their em- The icing on the cake was the sumptuous
ployer, others were staying on the streets or lunch and sheer khurma (made by them) on
skywalks for days. At such times the only rule the occasion of Eid. Our Muslim brothers of-
that we could follow was - compassion. It also fered prayers in our own “Catholic” campus.
meant taking the risk of unknowingly admitting Could the Kingdom of God be any differ-
an infected person and jeopardizing not only ent than this? The moments of deepest joy
those already admitted but also the elderly Je- were when some of them, leaving for their homes,
suit community members with whom I stayed. left back a generous smile as a sign of gratitude.
To top it all, I had to confront my own fears The pandemic and the lockdown have
every time I came across a new admission raised many questions about our way of living
or went to the hospital or the police station. both as individuals and as a society. But as I
The government had started “Shra- walked with these unfortunate brothers and sis-
mik trains” to get the stranded people back ters, whose dreams and lives were shattered, I
home. But to get a seat in the train you need- learned my lessons - unwavering dependence
ed to have something more than luck. When on God and being a human even at trying
we submitted the application for some of our times. Now, dealing with so many people and
guests, the local police told us that they had being exposed to such risks and yet remaining
received over 13,000 applications. This was safe – this wasn’t human. It is truly a miracle
the first week of May. Honestly, there were no – an act of God. Having been with some Je-
hopes that our application would ever make suits who dared to walk with our marginalized
it through. But one fine day around 18 lucky brethren, I discovered the deeper meaning
ones from our camp could make their way of my vocation. Today, I can only sit and look
home. Indeed, the government mechanism back on my experiences in awe and wonder.
did work, but as usual, for the few fortunate.

23 Young Minds 2020