How actor Sonu Sood emerged as an unlikely real-life hero for thousands of migrants in India's lockdown
Sood and restaurateur Neeti Goel have sent around 20,000 people home by buses, trains and even flights.
, ET Bureau|
Last Updated: Jun 07, 2020, 10.57 AM IST
Actor Sonu Sood and Mumbai-based restaurateur Neeti Goel along with their team are sending thousands of migrants home.
" Sarkar agar humare liye kuchh nahi bhi karega, toh Sonu Sood toh humara madad karega (Even if the government does not help us, Sonu Sood will),” said 24-year-old Sahidul Barbhuiya, who was at the time stranded in Mumbai as the train he was supposed to board for his home in Assam was cancelled due to Cyclone Nisarga on Wednesday. Barbhuiya lost his job when the canteen he worked for in Pune shut down during the Covid-19 lockdown. His small savings soon ran out and he had to surrender
his accommodation. The only refuge he could think of was “home”. He managed to reach Mumbai on a bus but could not go any further as the train got cancelled. Taking refuge under a bridge at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Kurla, he and his co-passengers reached out to Sood for help, and they were not disappointed. Sood and his team arranged accommodation for them at a school nearby and have assured that they would be home soon. Barbhuiya said they were well taken care of and he and the other 150 people with him had “ bharosa” (faith) that Sood would deliver on his promise.
Sood, who was known as an actor in 21st century BC (Before Covid-19), has emerged as the most unlikely superhero during the pandemic. For thousands of migrants, he is the man who helped them at a time when they were gripped with fear and were walking an uncertain path with no support or even an assurance that all would be well.
For the more privileged people, who felt helpless at the plight of the men, women and children walking across the country with little food in their belly and dwindling hope in their heart, Sood was doing what they could not. “I had no formula on how to help them, but there was this intention that I will not let these migrants walk home. We started by sending some hundreds home but now I am determined not to stop until the last mi-grant on the road has reached home,” Sood told ET Magazine in between calls from migrants asking for help.
Sood has been involved in charitable work through his trust, Professor Saroj Sood Trust, named after his mother. He grew up in Punjab watching his mother tutor underprivileged children for free and his father offer langar from his cloth shop in Moga. “They drilled into me that you are truly successful only if you help others.”
Sood opened the doors of his hotel in Juhu to healthcare workers of nearby hospitals who were treating Covid-19 patients.
He, along with his friend Neeti Goel, a Mumbai-based restaurateur, and their team has so far sent around 20,000 people home by buses, trains and even flights. They have sent people on two Shramik trains so far. They now have a list of 70,000 people who they are trying to send home over the next two weeks through trains.They are talking to the government to allow four more Shramik trains as the number is too big to be transported by buses.
Actor Boman Irani, who has worked with Sood in the past, says he is not surprised that Sood rose to the occasion during the crisis. “He is the sort of guy who slams his big fist on his chest and says ‘don’t worry I am with you’. Many people have the intention to do things but he has acted on it. Just being jazbaati (emotional) is not enough. He is an intelligent man who is capable of planning and is resourceful enough to execute it.”
Irani said that while the film industry has always helped in times of crisis, this often goes unnoticed or gets criticised. “Sonu’s work will motivate film and even non-film people to do more. Everyone has to do whatever one can do best, in one’s capacity.”
Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown in March, thousands of migrant workers lost their livelihoods. With no source of income, fear of starvation, panic about Covid-19 and suspension of trains and buses, these people decided to walk hundreds of kilometres in the scorching heat to reach their villages, the only safe haven where they felt they belonged.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a stimulus package for around 80 million migrants. Critics said it was too little, too late and estimated the number of migrants to be significantly higher.
Many non-government organisations and individuals like Sood and Goel have been feeding these people since the beginning of the lockdown. Sood and Goel started small but soon they were providing 45,000 meals a day on their own and in association with an NGO, Khaana Chahiye Organization, apart from feeding 1,000 stray cats and dogs, and supplying ration kits. They provided 25,000 iftar kits a day during Ramzan.
On a routine food distribution trip on May 3, they realised this was not enough. “We sensed a huge change in the behaviour of migrants. They had lost hope, they were dejected, there was desperation to go back home and there was a lot of aggression. We were talking to one group walking back home and they said — humein bas ghar jaana hai, humein aapka khana bhi nahi chahiye (We don’t need your food, we want to go home). That’s when we decided to send them home,” Goel said. In the next few days, they booked 10 buses and sent people home.
Soon, Sood and Goel’s numbers were circulating among migrants and pictures and videos of buses went viral on social media. They were flooded with requests for help. They set up a toll-free number that crashed after it was flooded with calls. “Sonu sir help kar raha hai ye toh viral ho gaya tha, unko Odisha se log ne bola humare bare mein. Sonu sir sara kharcha kiya aur pura madad kiya humko ghar pahuchane mein (Sonu’s work has gone viral and some people from Odisha asked him to help us. He bore all our expenses and ensured we reached home),” said Prasanta Kumar Pradhan.
Pradhan, who was working in Kerala as a plumber, along with 147 women and 20 other men, was flown back home to Odisha by Sood.
Sood and Goel financed the initiative themselves initially, but soon help started to pour in from friends who wanted to be part of it. A crowdfunding initiative, named Ghar Bhejo, raised over Rs 52 lakh, which included donations of Rs 10 and above. Many others donated directly to Lala Bhagwandas Trust, a 35-year-old trust set up by Goel’s family, towards the cause. Friends, family, people from the film industry, cricketers and businessmen were among the donors, giving anywhere between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 30 lakh, Goel said.
Cricketer Harbhajan Singh took to social media to promote the campaign and is believed to have roped in other cricketers too.
The more challenging part was getting approval from different states, managing all the paper-work for everyone, even for those who didn’ have relevant documents, and working out the logistics of transport.
Sood roped in his chartered accountant Pankaj Jalisatgi and his colleague Harsh Sikariya to manage the paperwork. Around 40 volunteers are dedicated to feeding people, while a group of 18-20 people is managing travel-related work.
Sood’s experience of working in the movies in Hyderabad and Chennai came in handy as friends, and associates there helped him get clearances for the movement of the migrants. “The government has done its bit. But when it realised that the migrants are not going to stop, that they are walking on highways, it should have acted soon by allowing buses at least within the state. They could have taken multiple buses to get home and that would have reduced their pain and even the accidents. Immediate action would have helped because they were an unstoppable force,” Sood said.
While sending these people home, Sood and Goel ensured the buses are packed with meals, crates of fruit, dry snacks and enough water to ensure people have nourishment. “I have done long journeys in buses and trains, sometimes even unreserved. I know how tough it can get,” Sood said.
Sonu and Goel have received photos from almost every migrant after reaching home and reuniting with their family. Goel was overwhelmed sharing stories of the pictures she has received. “There have been days we have spent 18-20 hours on this, but it has been worth it. I now know that real happiness comes from uplifting others, not from splurging on designer shoes and bags,” Goel said.
Sood even heard from a migrant who told him that she has named her son Sonu Sood Srivastav. “I told her your son can be Sonu Srivastav.
The team now feels they have a streamlined system in place and can handle the transport of people better. They are now moving people on new circuits like Jammu to Ranchi. But Sood is also aware of the fact that this is not the end of challenges for these people. “They have gone home due to strong emotions but they need to do something to survive. As a country, we have to generate work for them, whether it is in construction or something else, to ensure they have a source of income,” said Sood.
Sood said he has tried to keep his initiative away from politics. He also dismissed rumours that he may join a political party soon, adding that he has never planned his life decisions. But he is sure that helping people will become more integral to his life, going ahead. Sood said, “When someone gets a role that they are good at, they excel. That’s what has happened to me. This is the role of my lifetime. It feels like I came to Mumbai for this and everything I did has led to this. The mission of making every person on the road reach home will be my biggest blockbuster.”
Read more at:
No comments:
Post a Comment