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2 lakh Nepalese stuck in Pune count days to return home, good samaritans come to their rescue
Ikram Khan, owner of Soho restaurant in Kalyaninagar who heads the Sarva Dharama Samabhav Trust feeds at least 700-800 Nepalese in and around Kalyaninagar
For thousands of Nepali Nationals who work in Pune, and have made the city their home since many years, the lockdown has spelt disaster. Says Gautam Mohan, “I was working at a small dhaba near Ramwadi and would cook Chinese food. I would get paid Rs 12,000 per month and with my wife also working we were managing our lives well. But when the lockdown was announced, the dhaba shut down and I was suddenly jobless.”
Gautam was lucky compared to the 45 men who not only lost their jobs but also had no roof over their heads. Umesh Bista, member of the Nepali Jansampark Samiti Bharat said, “These men worked in various restaurants in and around Vimanagar, Tingrenagar and at night slept there itself. On the day the lockdown was announced they were asked to leave. Now they had no roof over their heads besides no pay.”
So Bista and his samiti members got into action. “We took in as many of these men as we could in our own homes. But 16 of them could not be accommodated. So, we rented a shed in Dhanori and kept these men there. Our samiti delivers ration so that these guys can at least feed themselves,” he said.
According to Mohanraj Bishwakarma who heads the Pragati Nepali Samaj Bharat, there are about two lakh Nepali nationals working in Pune and PCMC. “At least 50-60% of these people are working in restaurants. And these restaurants are now closed. The result? Most are jobless. Only those who are working as security guards still have their jobs, but for the majority, no income is a serious problem,” he said.
Ikram Khan, owner of Soho restaurant in Kalyaninagar who heads the Sarva Dharama Samabhav Trust feeds at least 700-800 Nepalese in and around Kalyaninagar, “It happened quite by chance that my driver Bhim who is a Nepalese told me about his neighbours who all worked in eateries in our area. They had lost their jobs and were hungry at home. So, I packed rations for them. But they had no cooking gas. So, I decided to cook in my restaurants compound. It started with 50 Nepali nationals; however, word spread fast and Nepali nationals from Ramwadi, Kharadi, Vimannagar and nearby places started pouring in. Now I arrange food for 1,000 nationals. Even non-Nepali locals started coming for food. We welcome all,” said Khan.
Khan has enlisted 10 Nepali men from the group to cook in his compound. He provides them with the infrastructure like utensils, gas and the ingredients from his restaurant’s kitchen. “My friend Nitin Sahasrabudhe provides 250 eggs daily. The Weikfield group sends us 25 kgs of mushrooms every two or three days. I have drum stick trees in my garden, we pluck those. And I add about 10-12 kgs of bottle gourd. All this is cooked and added to the dal. It is served with the rice. People come here with their own utensils and take the food home for their families. We also pack 250 parcels and give to the migrants on the roads around our area,” Khan added.
The Pune Faith Community Church for Nepali nationals too is doing its bit. Says Pradip Bajracharya its pastor, “We have 300 members and most are now jobless. We distribute ration packets that lasts for a week for one family.”
While some Nepali nationals are being taken care of by good Samaritans what about the rest of them? Mohanraj says, “We got a message from our Embassy that the govt of India would take care of the Nepali nationals stuck in India and the govt of Nepal would look after the Indians in our country. But that is not happening. We are left to our own devices. We want the Indian govt to consider running trains for us that can take us to the border. Yes, the borders are currently sealed, but they should open up soon. It is not possible for Nepalese to live here without any job or money. We want to go back home.”