HT Salutes: ‘Didn’t go to his village, for the sake of the city’

HT Salutes: In the fight against the contagious coronavirus disease, some people have been tirelessly putting themselves at risk, working round the clock to keep the wheels of life moving. Here we put the spotlight at those taking care of infected patients, collecting waste, and ensuring that people get essential supplies.

Vegetable vendor Dhananjay Gupta has started noticing a new respect in the eyes of customers when he enters the lanes of the residential neighbourhood of Green Park in south Delhi these days to hawk his wares. People peep out their windows and greet him from the balconies when he arrives, loudly announcing what the has for sale.

As Vegetable vendor Dhananjay Gupta pushes his cart through the gated colonies of the upscale area, residents wait patiently for their turn. (HT Photo)

“Before the lockdown,most people here relied on home delivery services for their daily vegetables, but with those being shut, I have finally found some customers in this area,” Gupta, 36, says.

As Gupta pushes his cart through the gated colonies of the upscale area, residents wait patiently for their turn.

Because of a shortage of vehicles bringing in vegetables from wholesale markets, Gupta has to leave his house at 4am every day to collect his daily stock from the distributor. The vehicle carrying vegetables drives up to Chirag Dilli at 4.30 am. After pushing his cart full of fresh vegetables for nearly three kilometres, he reaches home to wash and sort them before setting out, wearing his face mask and gloves.

“People like me generally have no relevance in this society, but this epidemic has given me a purpose. I feel like a soldier these days. My wife was insisting that we go back to our village, but I felt that I needed to stay back for the sake of this city.”