November 30, 2020 4:40:43 am
“They worked for us, so why not work for them?” Neeshi Jebisamam recalls thinking back to April, a week after the national shutdown was announced. But even in the beginning, there were whispers: “Isn’t it risky? What happens if you get the virus? “Arunachal Pradesh might have had just one case of coronavirus back then, but panic had started to set in.
However, the 25-year-old English teacher was determined and, one bright morning, held a meeting with 10 women at a public school, empty due to closure, located on the outskirts of her hometown of Bhalukpong. Desks and benches were put away, large utensils were carried, and a stove was brought to life. The ten (housewives, nurses, teachers) put on their masks, rolled up their sleeves, and went to work.
And so, far from the epicenters of the virus, Jebisaman and the others joined the ranks of the countless crown warriors across the country that The Indian Express is celebrating as part of the anniversary of the 11/26 terrorist attacks in Mumbai: the men and women best epitomize the stories of strength that had helped the city to put the killings behind. A show telling their stories aired on Star Plus on Sunday night.
On the first day, Jebisaman recalls, they cooked a meal for 70, but only 35 showed up. But then slowly, as word of the female Bhalukpong Langar spread, the numbers doubled, the simple fare of rice, dal and Boiled vegetables gave way to pork and bamboo shoot stews, chicken cooked with traditional herbs, and on some days even Mithun feasts. The langar continues to operate, now managed by the district administration.
“We never charge for our meals,” says Mary Sidisow, the 39-year-old Community Health Center (CHC) nurse who first suggested the idea of a community kitchen. “Our goal was simple: feed the front-line worker, be it a doctor, a nurse, a policeman or even a day laborer. A free meal for anyone who is hungry. “
Sidisow had the first hint of how the coronavirus could change life in his small town, located in the West Kameng district. Health workers like them had been tied up for new tasks, including detecting people at checkpoints.
As an entry point to the West Kameng, Tawang, and East Kameng districts that border Assam, Bhalukpong sees a constant movement of security forces.
Sidisow says he realized that by working long hours at checkpoints and in the hospital, many of them ended up skipping lunch. “Our town is so small that we were used to going home to eat something.” Most of the 10 who volunteered for the community kitchen, which would begin operating at 8 am, were members of her extended family.
“Community organizations in Bhalukpong had raised some money from donations, we also joined in,” says Sidisow. “I would finish work at the CHC early (having obtained permission to do so), go home, put on comfortable clothes and go to the kitchen around 11 am.
The oldest volunteer was Bajim Sagro, almost 60 years old. “Everyone knew everyone,” says Jebisamam. “Time flew by as we cut vegetables, planned the menu for the next day, and figured out how we could improve our dishes.”
Adds Amita Sangcho, 42, one of the volunteers, “The kitchen became our priority, it prevailed over everything else. Once we stay until 7pm, that’s how long it takes us to feed everyone. “
Often times the blockage made vegetables hard to come by. “We would drive 10 km to another city to buy from local farmers,” says Sidisow. Several people donated in the form of chickens and pigs. “In that sense, it was purely a donation-based community kitchen.”
Among the hundreds who came in for a hot meal each afternoon was Dr. Tage Neha, the CHC’s senior medical officer. “We have been in Covid service since March. In the early days, dinner at night was the only meal I was sure of, ”he says. “Until these ladies arrived, the saviors of Bhalukpong.”
In July, when cases spiked, community members advised the women to close the kitchen until things settled down. “We didn’t want to, but we understood that the risk had increased. We made it clear that we were ready to collaborate when needed, ”says Sidisow.
Jebisamam has moved to another city, to another Army school, carrying the memory of those days even while teaching online classes. “Initially, we remembered our time in the kitchen and kept showing up to check if the officials were doing their job. We spent three months there, it became part of our lives, giving us immense joy in a dark moment. ”The greatest satisfaction was the gratitude they received from people, including high-ranking officials.
A health worker who had come to eat took pictures of them while the food was being served and posted them on Facebook. “He wrote a long and heartfelt post about us and our cuisine,” says Sidisow. “We were just cooking, but someone thought it was special.”
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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