Team reaches Goa today, plans to cover issues that bother locals
THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Covid-19 has changed the way people lived, not only in India but all over the world. The pandemic has impacted lives and lifestyles. It is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, difficult to handle as nobody had any idea or experience of coping with it. To document all that has happened across the country, a three-member team comprising Siddhartha Dutta, Ahmer Siddiqui and Neha Chaturvedi, is travelling for 50 days and has already visited 19 border states by road. After being in Mangalore, the trio are reaching Goa on November 24 which will be their 52nd day on road.
Naming their campaign ‘Road Ashram’ the team will be travelling along the borders of India, covering 30 states in 60 days and almost 25,000 km in a specially modified car. “It’s an extension of what we three did during the lock-down period, of helping those in need,” says Neha, who practices art and is documenting the tour. While Siddhartha and Ahmer have been working together in the social sector for almost two decades, Neha joined them just before they undertook this new project.
Along this journey, the team found contradictory pictures –On one side, there was joblessness, poverty, lack of medical facilities, malnutrition, depression and on the other, those complaining of a paid vacation, no work to do and boredom.
“The purpose of ‘Road Ashram’ is to bring attention to all these stories of people and ensure that we do not limit ourselves to measuring the impact of the pandemic to the medical crises alone. This humanitarian crisis that has surfaced will take much longer and a lot of collective will and effort to resolve and we all will have to keep striving to find our feet back on stable ground,” shares Neha.
“As conscious citizens of this country, we can’t just sit and let this happen. The non-profit sector is doing whatever is possible with the available resources but it is not enough. These grassroot NGOs need immediate support to continue their life-saving work,” feels Siddhartha, who is navigating the routes during the trip, while Ahmer has taken to the wheel. Driving the specially modified vehicle, Ahmer adds, “The idea is to stay on the road. Drive for 14-15 hours per day. Through our 60-day drive on the kaccha-pakka roads along the borders, we wish to raise the awareness and resources to help people facing difficulties due to the pandemic. Alongside, we will share videos and stories of India’s diverse cultures, places and everything else that makes India what it is – a diverse, colourful and fascinating nation.”
Feeling that one has to fix what is not right, team ‘Road Ashram’ has appealed to people to make a contribution to the cause. “All funds will be directed to RAHI (Rise Against Hunger India), an NGO working to provide food support to people in need,” briefs Neha. The team invites people to follow the campaign through www.roadashram.in and social media channels to know more about the cause and learn more about their journey. For details one can contact howicanhelp@roadashram.in or WhatsApp on 91-9022954832.
