COVID-19: True heroes come to the fore in times of crisis, says Chetan Ahimsa

Chetan Ahimsa

By Chetan Ahimsa

It is only during periods of illness that so many of us are reminded how we take our physical and mental health for granted; similarly, in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, the world has realised that we humans have always taken functioning societies with symbiotic ecosystems for granted.

Destruction of biodiversity is a possible reason for a crisis as widespread and debilitating as COVID-19, as suggested by respected theories. Harmful human actions include deforestation, mining, hunting, logging, wildlife cruelty, etc. Our urban settings with their congestion issues, pollution problems, and consistent travel facilitate the disease’s spread and offer fertile hosts (i.e., human beings) for the virus. Metaphorically, when humans assault nature, the latter reciprocates; as a result, humans in every nation have begun retreating into their homes via ‘social distancing’; and consequently, nature is in a process of healing.

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With human activity at a standstill, pollution levels across the globe have been reducing while fish, birds and animals are being sighted in never-before-seen numbers. Only time will tell if governments institutionally and citizens personally will learn from this pandemic and take steps to tread more softly on our planet. As a native American proverb suggests, ‘We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.’

On a personal level, the ongoing 21-day lockdown has given me an opportunity to introspect on the unjustified privileges I and so many with our class-caste-educational access are fortunate to have. As I sit at my computer in the friendly confines of my Bengaluru home with a heavy downpour outside, I can only imagine (without ever experiencing) the minute-to-minute struggles faced by those hardest hit by this national shutdown: the poor, daily-wage workers, and those without savings.

As a nation of unemployed, the few affluent like myself have to find ways to ‘do timepass’ while the vast majority such as the labourers living ‘hand-to-mouth’ who walk hundreds of kilometres across the nation with young children in their arms and livelihoods on their backs are uncertain whether they may see ‘time pass’ for all that much longer. Ironically, the coronavirus which came to our nation via airplane travellers and globetrotters is wreaking havoc on those who use public transportation & live on ration cards.

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It is during such times of transnational, unforeseen hardships that we as a society begin to value the sacrifices and dedication of true heroes (i.e, doctors, nurses, sanitation personnel, etc.) and not superficial ones playing roles on the silver-screen. Only those whose contributions either through words and/or actions that can alleviate the current volatility are held in high esteem while those ‘celebrities’ & ‘stars’ whose recognition is based on external popularity, fan clubs, & large cut-outs are neglected, being deemed futile, insignificant.

The simple question on many peoples’ minds currently is: ‘how can we help?’ Its answer is a bit more complex. In the midst of ‘social distancing,’ we must find our own unique ways of coming closer as a society. Each of us possesses varied talents, passions with different social networks; hence, how to ‘give back’ must be determined on a personal level. I have seen several conscientious citizens with culinary capabilities cooking foods and packaging them while others in their circles hand them out to the needy and public servants. Some animal lovers are coming to the aid of street dogs in their neighbourhoods.

My social service has been two-fold: 1. assisting daily-wage cinema labourers financially; 2. providing essentials to nomadic communities in North Karnataka.

With shootings in the film industry currently on hold, the most affected are industry workers. Kannada Film Industry (KFI) has over 6,000+ daily-wage labourers, and our service organisation FIRE (Film Industry for Rights & Equality) has documented that 1,000+ of them are living below the poverty line (BPL). For these BPL workers, FIRE has already helped facilitate the allocation of 146 homes through government schemes.

Over the past couple weeks, FIRE has joined hands with director Pawan Kumar’s crowd-funding mechanism to disseminate funds of Rs 2,000 directly to the bank accounts of as many workers as possible from diverse film departments. In this initiative, FIRE has assisted in fundraising (Rs 9 lakh) as well as distributing to the economically-challenged (450+ cinema workers). Upon returning to normalcy, FIRE intends to bring union leaders from all departments together to compel the government to provide sustainable benefits for cinema’s daily-wage labourers.

Nomadic communities in North Karnataka are among our state’s most disadvantaged, marginalised people. Nomads from diverse groups like the Sudagad Sidda, Sillekyatha, Gondali, Chennadasa, etc., are still living in small tents without bank accounts, ration or Aadhar cards. Their livelihoods, based on daily earnings from selling trinkets or performing theatre, have been decimated by this 21-day lockdown. Our social service organisation Yuva Karnataka that has been working to provide upliftment to nomads across the state for the past three years has donated necessary items like food essentials, oils, and soaps to 300 dispossessed nomadic families in Bidar district. After this corona crisis is dealt with, Yuva Karnataka aims to continue working for our state’s poorest and most neglected including the nomads.

If we can learn something ‘redeeming’ from the coronavirus, it’s equality for all. Covid19 doesn’t discriminate on gender, caste, class, religion, race, language, sexuality, colour, looks, job, age, nationhood, education, IQ, or EQ. If only we viewed all human beings with the same equality this virus views us…
And, as a newlywed with a wife who also believes in a marriage of equality, the current lockdown period has given us both an opportunity to understand one another on deeper, more meaningful levels. I hope, like ours, all relationships can grow more fruitful, thoughtful, and beautiful through and after because of corona-- just as we hope our planet will.

(Chetan Ahimsa is an actor and social activist)