A Community of Care: Don Bosco Alumni Association’s Response to the CoViD-19 Pandemic
2021 has seen the arrival of the much-dreaded second wave of the CoViD-19 pandemic. This wave has been characterized by a massive surge in the number of cases, particularly in India. From 18,934 at the beginning of the year to 3,91,280 in the first week of May, the 7-day average has spiked at an alarming rate. Lockdowns have been reinstated, fresh directives issued, but the virus still wreaks havoc, with more and more people getting infected, leading to a massive demand for hospital beds, medication, oxygen, vaccines and other essential resources.
The remarkable efforts of India’s essential workers, most notably its medical professionals, are the strongest line of defence against the disease. Also worth recognition are the networks of friends, family and colleagues that have been established and mobilized in order to share resources and combat misinformation in these dire times. Social media and messaging apps have also facilitated this process, allowing relative strangers to lend a hand.
It is in this context that the Alumni Association of Don Bosco School, Alaknanda, and the social media groups and networks that it has established have proved invaluable to its members and others. Already a valuable source of information and connections on the professional front, these groups have become a thriving source of information during the pandemic, with three decades worth of Bosconians pooling their resources, connections and contacts in seemingly small acts of service that are crucial for the people who need them and add up to a remarkable repository of information to be further shared and disseminated.
Requests for information related to medicines, oxygen, hospital beds, plasma, vaccines and the like flood these groups every day. The response time to such requests is almost immediate, both on the group and via personal messages from individuals who are made aware of the needs of others. Of particular mention are the doctors in the group who are invaluable for their experience, connections and advice. These include Dr. Varun Khullar who has been providing medical services, food and dry rations to CoViD-impacted and needy individuals and families through his NGO ‘Chhoti Chhoti Khushiyan’. He has also initiated a crowdfunding programme for the same, with more than 2 lakh rupees raised at the time of writing this article. Also worth recognizing is Dr Kenshuk Marwah who is, in many ways, the glue that holds the Alumni Association together and whose insight and advice are freely available on the group as well as on news programmes, visible to the wider public. Other medical professionals like Dr. Vivek Saini, Dr. Aseem Gulati, Dr. Ashish Gupta, Dr. Ankur Kataria and many others have been tirelessly working to combat the virus while also finding time to aid their fellow alumni on these groups and networks. Recognising the efforts of every active Bosconian on these groups would be a mammoth task, regardless of which they continue to strive to be of service to their fellow Bosconians, their loved ones, and to society.
There are signs of improvement at the time of writing this article. The 7-day average has come down to 2,66,632. However, India still faces huge challenges when it comes to vaccine availability, and the situation in rural areas still demands greater attention both in terms of information gathering as well as governmental response. The recent observation of increased risk of mucormycosis or “black fungus” among those recovering from CoViD-19 is a new source of concern. In times like these, working for the survival and safety of others in whatever way is possible is a responsibility that all of us must take up. The Alumni Association of Don Bosco, Alaknanda is proof of the difference that can be made by individuals coming together as a strong, supportive community united towards a common goal.
Sameer Thomas (Alumnus of Don Bosco School, Alaknanda)