The coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to its knees. And it has been even more devastating to the less privileged and the needy, who have had little means to survive due to the lockdowns imposed by the governments.
Such is also the situation in India, where thousands of migrant workers from other states generally come in to bigger cities such as Mumbai and Delhi to earn their livelihoods.
Due to the sudden lockdown imposed by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19, these migrant workers were left with no way to go back to their homes and no way to sustain. Also, with state governments closing borders, bus and train services suspended, and most sources of income for them shut down, the migrants were facing a very difficult time. Most of them decided to walk hundreds of kilometres to reach their homes.
In such a pathetic scenario, there were quite a few good Samaritans that came in to help such people. And one among them is Bollywood actor, Sonu Sood.
Sood is very famous for playing the villain in many Bollywood movies and has worked with popular names such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Hrithik Roshan. Apart from Hindi films, he has also acted in Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada movies.
However, in the recent past, Sood has donned a new role – he is actively helping thousands of migrant workers stranded in Mumbai reach their homes in remote parts of the country by arranging buses for them.
“It gave me sleepless nights when I saw visuals of people walking hundreds of kilometres to reach their villages,” the actor told the BBC.
“We started in March by distributing food, we started with 500 packets of cooked meals and groceries. Today we are distributing food and groceries every day to 45,000 people in slums, those stranded on the roads and those walking on the highways,” Sood added.
And how did he come up with the initiative of helping the migrants reach their homes?
On 9th May, Sood and his childhood friend Niti Goel were distributing food when they came across a group of workers who told them that they were going back to their home towns in the southern state of Karnataka, which is around 550 kilometres from Mumbai.
And when Sood asked them how they were going to travel back? They said that they would walk.
Sood was appalled at this and asked them for two days to get the relevant permissions from state governments so that he could arrange some buses for them. And thus, the first batch of buses with migrant workers left on 11th May with about 200 people aboard.
“When they left they had smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes,” the actor said.
We can only imagine what gratitude they might have felt towards Sood!
And since then, there has been no looking back for the actor, who has, till date, helped thousands of workers reach their homes various states in India, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
And the requests to the actor have been pouring in still. His social media accounts are flooded with messages from students and workers who are stranded and are looking to reach their homes.
“I have been getting thousands of mails and messages on my phone daily from people asking for help. Thousands have also been reaching out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram,” he says.
His responses on social media accounts to the stranded people are extremely reassuring and full of warmth and love. ‘Consider it done’, ‘Don’t worry, you will be home tomorrow’, ‘I am going to make you meet your parents tomorrow’, ‘your home is calling you’, ‘just send the details’ – his responses make you believe that humanity is still alive!
And perhaps he empathizes with the migrants because he himself came to the city as a migrant.
“I feel strongly about the migrant issue because I came to Mumbai as a migrant,” he says. “I just boarded a train one day and landed up here. Everyone comes here with a dream, they want to make their family proud, and everyone should be treated well.”
And when does he plan to end his mission?
“I can’t stop until the last migrant has reached home,” he quips!
What a gem of a person this man is!
And this selflessness of Sood has earned his praises and accolades from all over.
Recently, Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan tweeted to show his love for the actor and the work he has been doing.
Thank u so much my brother.❣️India knows when @SDhawan25 is at cease “WE ARE HOME”. I promise, I will stay at this crease till the end and make sure that every migrant well say “ WE ARE HOME “ ❤️ https://t.co/WhRNkjg7cb
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 26, 2020
Also, Union Cabinet Minister Smriti Irani posted a message of appreciation for the actor:
Thank you my friend who’s been an inspiration always. Your encouraging words motivate me to work harder. I promise you to be with our brother and sisters till the last one reaches their home. I will make you proud the way you did. A big salute to a true achiever🙏 🇮🇳 https://t.co/dI49OSoUMG
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 24, 2020
Here is another message of appreciation:
Thank you so much for these encouraging words brother. Means a lot 🙏 will continue giving my 100% till the last migrant gets reunited with his family. 🇮🇳 https://t.co/HD46Ltw6Ch
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 25, 2020
And his admirers have been flooding his social media accounts with praises for him.
Love it. Thanks 🙏 https://t.co/Xf0lt3HEap
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 25, 2020
This is encouraging ❣️🙏 https://t.co/5TYyOlXHbs
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 24, 2020
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 24, 2020
Meanwhile, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna has named a dish that he has created after the birthplace of Sood – Moga in Punjab.
Dear @SonuSood everyday you are inspiring us.
Can’t cook for you right now in appreciation of your work.
So sending you a dish Im going to name “MOGA” after your birthplace. ❤️#Respect #RealHero pic.twitter.com/F7D61AfrgN— Vikas Khanna (@TheVikasKhanna) May 19, 2020
The modest man that he is, Sood laughs off all this adulation and is focusing on sending every migrant back to their homes!
We wish the actor the best in this endeavour. He is an epitome of humanity in these tough times.
Don’t you agree? Do let us know your views in the comments section below.
