Never forget these faces. We have seen them everywhere, and yet never seen them.
They built our homes, they built our cities.They built our lives. Birbal, Umesh and Sanjay. Of Jharkhand.
They sent small sums home for sustenance. They lived in a tiny room on bare minimum.
They had nothing saved up for a week even. Lockdown exposed them..And us.
It is on such innocent people that our development runs. Our growth runs. Our lives and lifestyle run.
There is much soul searching needed today. Personally. Collectively.
This is Sanjay Singh.
DOB 1-1-2001
Nineteen years. This is his second time to this city.
Come afar from Gharwa district, Jharkhand. To build our homes.
Since lockdown he is stuck here. No money. No food. He's nobody's business now.
See him carefully. Look into the bright, innocent eyes. We can see ourselves very clearly reflected in those eyes. .
Our privilege is one side of the coin. The other side is Sanjay's life. One is sustained by the other.
He is one of the 'migrant labour cases' I am following up with. I typed in all his details now for the form to ask for train travel. Thats how I know his age.
Yesterday late evening I get a call, "Madam, ham bahut pareshan hain. Jharkhand bhej dijiye.", in a strong Jharkhand accent which has become all too familiar now. ... Madam we are in great difficulties, please send us to Jharkhand.
I asked him who they were. They were three labourers seperated from their circle of friends who have left on a train to Jharkhand today.
Birbal Singh, Umesh Singh and Sanjay Singh.
The story came out in pieces. Their contractor had not paid them their wages for March. And he kept saying he would pay the next day. Maybe with the intention of keeping them stuck till labour need restarted.
When the others set off on the 70 km walk from Chengalpettu to Chennai Central Station hoping for a train these three stayed back. Now that the group has left, they were desperate. I was in touch with the other group, and now I made the connection. Birbal said, "Madam, unhone aapka number diya. Bola madam madad jaroor karengi. Phone karo." ... Madam, they gave us your number, saying you will help.
"Did you eat ?", I asked.
When I asked about money, hesitently they said, "Money is over." They always hesitate, they are used to working hard and earning, not to asking. I usually preempt them. We transferred some money.
Now comes the ardous job to finding them a relief centre to move to. Register them, and then pray for their turn in the all too few trains running, given the vast waiting crowds.
But the team is amazing, focussed, capable of living on air and working 24 hours, networking with the government, coordinating on the ground, managing an impossible database, holding together a large set of volunteer help, keeping in constant touch with the migrant group and need.
Kavitha Kuruganti Radhika Rammohan Anantha Sayanan Komakkambedu Himakiran and other pillars.
Birbals WhatsApp profile is "Happy New Year 2020." Irony has died a 1000 deaths. The other profile picture is a face we see, but miss, in construction sites, in loading places, on golgappa carts. Those silent people who hold up the framework of the cities on silent uncomplaining shoulders. Looks familiar ?
Next time stop. They all have stories.
Birabal Singh.
s/o Tunu Singh, Chiniya Village, Gharwa Jharkhand 822114
He has a one month old son. He has not seen him yet. He is very eager to go home to his son, wife, and mother.
"Itna jor se rotha hai phone pe. Boltha hai, jaldi aaoo, jaldi aaoo." (He cries so loudly into the phone. Saying 'Come soon, come soon'.)
He is so happy to talk about his son.
They have a little land at home, now divided between four brothers. His wife and mother sow maize and channa.
He says he will be back after Corona. "We people need to work hard and earn. I am young now, only 25. I will work and earn for my family."
His own father died 20 years ago when he was a small boy. He collapsed and died suddenly.
Why do these simple conversations weigh so heavily on me ...
Migrant Worker JH2005001.
Birabal Singh, "Aapke bharosa hain. Kisi tarah prayas kijiye ghar bhejne ka. Ham tho rah gaye, ne ghar ka na ghat ka ..."
They think we have clout with the government. I allow him to have the illusion. We are running after all possible. And stay as much in the dark as Birabal does about when he will be allowed to go home. When trains will run.
Every day I call Birabal and the others a few times with the same empty reassurances. Knowing how fake I am. They have the civility and culture to stay uniformly polite with me.
No information, no access to details. Whom does this country run for ... ?
Train sanctioned for today.
Birabal Singh, Umesh Singh and Sanjay Singh. Setting out in joy. Birabal eager to see his one one month son who he says cries loudly into the phone daily, "Jaldi aao, jaldi aao. Come soon, come soon". Sanjay only 19, uncertain and overwhelmed by the situation.
Six people from Jharkhand will set homewards in today's train. They are on their way to the station.
Birabal Singh, Umesh Singh, Sanjay Singh. And Somauram and his group. The result of tireless efforts by the TN team working with them.
Birabal's one month old son in waiting for him, as he tells l me daily.
The work is not over. They are returning home with nothing, weary. The journey is not over. Theirs or ours..
APPEAL CLOSED.
After Ananthoo contacted the concerned bureaucrat, food was served. Food for the poor is not a right. In this land.
APPEAL
Please help to take this complaint to authorities. Please twitter.
Migrant labour from Jharkhand were asked to report at 11 am for a 4pm train . Lunch was provided. From 2 pm have been seated in a line outside Chennai station. Our people are there.
Birabal Singh, Umesh Singh, Sanjay Singh, Somauram and many others ...
No train so far. No water. No food. Through the afternoon till 10pm now.
This is the situation in full view in the capital city. Sheer callousness.
Birabal and company heading home in their train. Lunch was served. Birabal waiting to see his one month old son. They are happy.
Sushil and Ganesh in a lorry heading to Jharkhand. A friend transferred the money to their account this morning and enabled this. They are both 22 year olds who came to Chennai 2 months ago to earn as construction labourers. And got locked down. It was a difficult period, but they are going homeward.
Home going stories are happy stories
Happiness is as simple as a train heading home 
Birabal Singh, Umadh Singh and Sanjay Singh have reached their village in Jharkhand. Gaon Chilia.
Umesh called to say 'Mummy Papa bahut Khush hain.'. Birbals phone is out of coverage area. He would have met his one month old son. Who he would tell me was crying into the phone daily asking him to come 'Jaldi aao, jaldi aao'. I'm waiting for pics of the baby.
Tq Radhika Rammohan Komakkambedu Himakiran Anantha Sayanan and the rest of the rockstars, working day and night relentlessly. These thanks are being handed over to you guys.
He sent me his sons picture when he reached home.
Krsna Singh.
s/o Tunu Singh, Chiniya Village, Gharwa Jharkhand 822114
Some friends may remember Birbal, Umesh and Sanjay, 'migrant laborers' from Jharkhand.
The harrowing times we all shared thro though lockdown days.
Birbal would tell me of his new born son he was yearning to see, "Beta phone pe jor jor se rota hai - Jaldi aao, jaldi aaoo" (Son cries loudly into the phone - come soon, come soon).
Finally they did reach back.
As soon as he reached, he sent me his son's pictures. Krishna. In sheer joy.
And this was another picture he sent yesterday !
Times stay hard as there is no work.
But the beautiful father-son picture asks to be shared.
Birbal, one of the 'migrant workers' who has gone back to Jharkhand. We were working with some of them thro lockdown times. He has stayed in touch since then. Times are hard there, he says. Very hard.
He sent me this picture now.
"Gawme. Ak. Shamuh. Ka. Miting. Maa. Jisme. Ak. Mah. Me. Das. Rupaya. Jama. Kiya jata Hai"
The women's savings group. Every month they put 10/- each into the savings.
One country, many worlds ...
In another world, from.another news I got today, wedding blouses are being bought for 50,000/- ...
One country, many worlds ...
Birbal calls from Jharkhand now and then. For very small, almost insignificant help from us, they are disproportionately grateful. He is one of migrants who were trapped in lockdown, and a few of who we worked with.
He called to wish me on Pongal today . And sent me his son's pictures. I'm sharing it as it's so beautiful.
There are times in life when feelings are indefinable. Bittersweet. This is one of those times.
The genuine goodwill. And yet the hard life the family is facing in times of vanished livlihoods. The beauty of the child. The pride of the father in the child. The beautifully mud home.
For a very little help during those harrowing times of lockdown, when were together trying to help the desperate migrants go back home
This is the immense goodwill and beauty that they give back.
Birbal's son had been born in lockdown time. He was desperate to go back and see him. He would tell me, "Woh phone pe for zor se rota hai. 'Jaldi aao, jaldi aao.'
I'm happy he is back. How I wish they had work to sustain them on their own land, close to family and hearth.
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