The coronavirus pandemic has brought out the worst, and the best people. With the outbreak of the deadly virus, we saw multiple reports of racism and communalism. From the very beginning, North East Indians have been attacked and called “Chinese”, and soon became the target of harassment. However, a man from Bangalore stepped in to provide them, as well as others in need, a safe place to stay.
According to a report on India Times, Rahul Rai, the owner, reportedly turned his hair salon into a shelter for jobless IT professionals and migrant workers hailing from northeast India and Nepal.
“The moment the lockdown started then I received many complaints from different corners that several persons became jobless and they were thrown out of their rented accommodations.I converted my hair-cutting training salon into a shelter home for them.”Rahul Rai
Those who were in need contacted him through Facebook, and he helped them settle in. One of the men staying at Rai’s salon said before getting there he spent a week near a lake because he had been evicted. Such troubling news wasn’t uncommon a month ago, on the night of March 22, 2020, a 25-year-old woman from Manipur had paan spat on her. She was reportedly then called ‘corona’ by a man in North-West Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar area. Former Indian Idol contestant Meiyang Chang had also reported being called “coronavirus”.
In times like these, it is important we do the best we can, and Rahul Rai is surely an inspiration. When all of this ends, what we will best remember is those who put out a helping hand.
With inputs from India Times
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