Actress and animal activist
Samyukta Hornad has been working with a task force that helps animals, besides doing other volunteer work. "When compared to the other states,
Karnataka is doing fairly better. It is because of the people who are working together to fight the
Coronavirus. I have had the privilege of meeting some of these unsung heroes, who are working for over 13 hours daily to fight this battle.
Their generosity and personality has moved me so much, that I want to thank them for their good work," she said on #QuickTakesWithBangaloreTimes, sharing her list of Covid 19 warriors, who have been working non-stop and deserve our gratitude...
The ambulance and cab drivers
During a crisis, we need cab drivers and ambulance services for medical emergencies. These drivers have been working 24/7. For instance, there is Ram who went all the way to Mandya to pick up a cancer patient. There are many like him, who are working for long hours and risking their own lives to save ours.
The police and government officials
I needed permissions from the police as a task force member. It has been such a beautiful journey just getting to know some of them. There's Basavaraj who has been feeding stray dogs. There are many other inspectors and senior officers who are very kind to the volunteers and help us out.
The providers
I got to know there was a lady in Uttarahalli who couldn't breast feed her three-month-old infant as she was starving for over a week. She didn't know where to procure food kits. It was midnight and I was looking for help. It was then that I got to know about Arvind Suchindran and his team who have been helping the needy for over 40 days now. They've been providing food kits to migrant
workers and labourers across the city. I immediately contacted them and they drove to the remote place in Uttarahalli to help the lady in distress. There's also Karthik Reddy who has provided over 40,000 meals and opened his kitchen. There's Padmaja Krishnaprasad who is packing food and sending it across too.
The bridge between farmers and the needy
Ali has been working with farmers and helping those on Kanakapura Road. He got 20,000 kgs of vegetables from them. There's Roopamouli who is also helping farmers. When I needed vegetables for the food kits for daily wage workers in the film industry, she helped with 200 kits of vegetables and fruits. She has been doing this for over 25 days.
The animal activists
Since my task force takes care of animals, I happened to meet Anirudh Ravindra. He works with CARE and has been rescuing abandoned dogs. Over the last 40 days, he has rescued over 120 dogs. Even when I ring him up in the middle of the night with a problem of an abandoned animal or injury, he immediately sets out to help. CARE has been providing food for dogs across Bengaluru. This is around three lakh dogs that they are helping out. There's also Shantala, who is the go-to person for the animal task force, as she has the data of the dogs in each area and the requirements.