Vihari, the team man, turns a Covid saviour
The player formed a team of volunteers to help people battling the pandemic in several regions
Hanuma Vihari has proved he is an ultimate team player on a cricket field. The Andhra batsman is extending that great quality to lend a helping hand as people battle the surge of Covid-19 in India.
Yelugubanti Rammohan Rao, 60, was desperate for plasma therapy and wanted convalescent donors with B+ blood group at TX Hospitals in Hyderabad; Batchu Bhargav, 30, from Tenali, with oxygen level alarmingly low at 67, needed a bed with ventilator; 58-year-old Subbamma’s relatives were desperately seeking an oxygen bed for her at Anantapur; another urgent appeal for help was for an oxygen bed for the delivery of a woman in Khammam with Ab negative blood. Throughout Friday evening, from his room in Birmingham, Hanuma Vihari was coordinating help for these and many other patients who sought help on his Twitter and Instagram handles.
The batsman is in England to prepare for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand starting June 18. Moved by the humanitarian crisis in India, Vihari is actively mobilising support for people battling Covid-19 in his home state, Andhra Pradesh, as well as other regions in the country.
“It is a tough time in India, this is when we have to come out and do our bit. That is what I have realised. Even today we could help 30-40 cases all over India,” Vihari says over phone in a late-night call from UK.
Save an hour for nets or gym work at his county Warwickshire, Vihari is constantly on the phone coordinating the response for those seeking help. He has formed a group on Whatsapp— COVID Sos—which has grown to 80 volunteers. “I sleep when I don’t get any requests on social media, that’s around 11pm UK time. I wake up around 4.30am–5 am. By then I have got many requests on social media;
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even in the group there are hundreds of messages. I have to follow up and keep posting it on Twitter,” Vihari says of the routine he follows.
Many current India players are lending help. Vihari is at it full time. “When I left for England (April 8) I never thought it (the situation) will be so bad. It (the second wave of infections) had just started; the cases were 40,000 a day. After reaching here, I was heartbroken (seeing the rise in cases). After playing my third County game around 12 days ago, I had a break. I thought “I have time on my hand and a platform (he has around 111.1k Twitter followers) as well to make a difference”.”
This is the first attempt at social service but Vihari as always wanted to help people. “Of course, cricket is always important but the situation in which India is right now, it is the most important thing for us to understand and help people in need. Make sure we are back again to normal, then everything will proceed as usual,” says the Andhra cricketer who started his first-class career with Hyderabad. Reaching out to people with an Instagram post “whoever needs help can DM (direct message) me”, Vihari began with a fundraiser when someone appealed for financial help. “Then a lot of people wanted help and I thought I couldn’t do it alone. To get more volunteers, I formed a group on Whatsapp. On the first day there were 20 people, now it has gone up to 80, from all over India. So, we can reach out to people quicker and fulfill their requirement much quicker, that is the whole idea.”
The group is spread over Andhra and Telangana; they have also helped people in Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu, and even a few in Kolkata, and some in northern India. “I am trying to cover wherever possible, if request comes from other states I try to fulfill that also,” says Vihari, whose grit and character shines through, be it on the cricket field or by coming to the aid of his compatriots who are struggling to deal with the pandemic. Braving a hamstring injury, the gutsy middle-order batsman scored an unbeaten 23 facing 161 balls to help India draw the third Test at Sydney in January. Though Vihari could not play in the final Test due to injury, a depleted India went on to win at the Gabba and claim a memorable series.
He feels empathy for anyone in trouble. “Only me, my wife or sister handle my Twitter handle. We see every request personally; once I see their request, I understand their pain.”
Vihari’s life has been shaped by the hardships he has faced in life. “I lost my father when I was 12. My mother was a housewife; whatever pension we got of my dad, my mother raised me and my sister without any complaints. She ensured I still played cricket and followed my passion. I knew I should be the one who should be looking after my family, so that was the responsibility I had very early in my life. This situation is all about responsibility. My outlook towards life is all because how she raised and groomed me and my sister. “I know how you feel when you are low and don’t have support, financial or emotional. I didn’t have the opportunity to do social service before but I always had empathy towards people. This is an opportunity to do something for the people and country.”
His army of volunteers include Andhra teammates. “When I put any new request in the Whatsapp group, they respond immediately. They try to get as much information as possible, whether it is for bed, ventilators, oxygen. They ensure help has reached the patient.”