‘In the midst of a storm, we can still find words of kindness.’

Anuradha Hattangdi P’24 on lending a helping hand during the COVID-19 surge in India

In April of this year, I laid in bed isolated and panic-stricken when my kids and I were diagnosed with COVID-19. We were so careful—always wearing masks and face shields, restricting going out, not meeting friends or family. But this new infectious variant literally came to our doorstep, perhaps through a delivery person.

I was listless, my fever wasn’t breaking; I felt terribly weak and worried about my children. I couldn’t even watch television. But one of those days I did. News channels were flashing a grim situation in Delhi, registering over 1,000 new cases every hour. News bulletins covering the human catastrophe showed heartbreaking stories of people being turned away by hospitals who had run out of beds, medical supplies, even oxygen. There were queues at the crematorium. Delhi was burning.

While we were fortunate here in Mumbai with a doctor who monitored our health parameters every day and prescribed medicines which were delivered promptly to our doorstep, I felt helpless, sometimes tearful about why people couldn’t get access to basic medical services.

Focusing solely on myself while allowing time to slip away from those who needed help seemed selfish. Perhaps it was the influence of my parents: a lawyer, a principal of a women’s university, and lifelong practitioners of Gandhian community service values. They were always lending a helping hand to anyone who needed it, even those they didn’t know and those who didn’t ask. I thought about donating money, but it was clear that access to medical services was a more urgent need. That’s when I came across a news story on a collective of doctors, volunteers, and tech startups that had come together to support the healthcare delivery infrastructure by connecting with patients directly. I had been thinking of how I could help and this came right to me…it was too much of a coincidence!

The next day, I decided to pull myself up and fill out the interest form. Less than 24 hours later, I attended a two-hour online training with the task force. This was a group of dedicated volunteers who were selflessly committed to helping people they did not know halfway across our large nation. They all worked regular day jobs but had dedicated themselves to making a difference by spending a few hours each day helping those in need.

I speak directly with patients now. The conversations range from informing them that they’ve tested positive for the virus, connecting them with doctors for an online consultation, escalating cases to emergency services and teams that can deliver medicines and supplies, and finding hospitals that have vacant beds, oxygen availability, or even volunteer-driven ambulance services.

While some conversations are very hard emotionally—loss of family members, devastation, anger—at times I also hear a quiet ‘thank you’ and words of gratitude for simply having reached out to them. Such is human nature, isn’t it? In the midst of a storm, fear, chaos and death, we can still find words of kindness.