India U19 WC cricket-star’s mother doing her BEST in fight against Covid-19

Vaidehi works as a bus conductor in Mumbai’s public bus transport service (BEST), which has remained operational in lockdown, to ferry essential service personnel.

When the rest of her colony at Andheri east, is still in its good night sleep, 43-year-old Vaidehi Ankolekar leaves for work, at 4.45 am in the morning. It’s pitch dark, and the 10-minute walk past deserted roads and growling dogs, feels like one long road to the bus depot.

India U19 all-rounder Atharva Ankolekar (Twitter)

Vaidehi works as a bus conductor in Mumbai’s public bus transport service (BEST), which has remained operational in lockdown, to ferry essential service personnel. “Its quite scary with no one around these days, so early in the morning. I ask Atharva (son) to come and drop me to the depot,” she says. Atharva, rises early, borrows his friend’s bike and drops his mother to work, with prayer on his lips.

Two months back, his mother was praying for his success, while he was playing the tournament of his life in India colours – the U19 cricket World Cup in South Africa. The Indian team faltered in the final hurdle, but all-rounder Atharva had his moments of glory. Atharva counts his mother, as an equal contributor in his cricket journey; having raised him and his younger brother as a single mother with limited means, after his father passed away, ten years back.

“It’s worrying to see her go out because, it’s unsafe outside. If I had it my way, I would ask her to stay at home,” Atharva says.

Atharva has reasons to worry because, only ten days back, a resident in their SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) apartment, who worked as a security guard in a private hospital was found positive for coronavirus. The Ankolekar family is currently in home-quarantine, but Vaidehi plans to resume work, from next week.

“Mine is an essential service duty,” she says. “But, I have a lot of fears. Passengers can be anyone - health workers, police force…and unfortunately, they are the ones, who are all at risk.” Last week, a BEST bus conductor in Goregaon, reported positive for the virus.

Before Vaidehi’s society was sealed, her duty entailed two trips from Marol depot, where she stays, to Airoli or Vaishali Nagar; those trips separated by short breaks. She misses, her morning cutting-chai the most. Experimenting with outside-food are things of the past. She, like a lot of her colleagues, carries her own tiffin. All conductors wear masks, and sanitize hands after distributing three-to-four tickets. But no precautions are enough, when the enemy is unknown. “I am no-one to advise, but if they can, I suggest they should make tickets free for all passengers, it would help in reducing the risk of transmission through exchange of money and tickets. As it is, in lockdown, there are limited passengers, who are all into essential services,” she says.

Many BEST employees echo that sentiment, as such a move could reduce risk significantly. In any case many buses are running at less than half of regular capacity, although there have been reports of certain buses in peak evening hours, which remain crowded.

Vaidehi is currently allowed three days a week duty. But, in the ever-changing scenario, duty charts and bus-routes change frequently. She knows of other colleagues, who have more strenuous schedules, some who leave their homes for work, at 3am. In times of crisis, BEST staffers – drivers and conductors are corona-warriors, too. “We are doing something good for the society, in tough times. It’s this thought that keeps one going, and helps overcome all fears,” she says.