Waiting to meet CM, man on tricycle spreads awareness
LUCKNOW: Seated in his hand-operated tricycle, Santram Kori is doing his bit in the fight against Covid-19. The polio-afflicted 32-year-old moves across the city spreading awareness about the infection and ways to protect ourselves from it.
“Bhaisahab, uchit doori hai bahut zaroori, jo corona se jeetni jang hai poori (Maintaining social distancing is very important to win the fight against Covid-19),” Kori calls out, as he moves towards a group of people gathered outside a shop in Charbagh area.
As part of his effort, Kori has transformed his tricycle into a mobile advertising kiosk by pasting pamphlets related to Covid-19 on the sides. He has also tied a placard with ways to fight Covid-19 on the tri-cycle’s handle. He even carries a bagful of masks donated by people, which he hands out to people in need.
“I go to different parts of the city Charbagh, Alambagh, Hazratganj, Gomti Nagar and try to spread awareness about the disease. This gives me some work to do during the day,” Kori said with a broad smile that shadows the struggles of his own life.
Kori does not belong to Lucknow. He worked his tri-cycle for over a fortnight to reach the state capital from his home in Gonda district, in East UP, over 120 km away. He was employed as a cook at Junior High School Nagwa in Nawabganj area of the district. Kori completed his education till Class 8 in the same school. His job paid him Rs 1,500 per month but Kori also depended on a small piece of land for survival. The land, Kori alleges, was encroached upon by some affluent people in the village. “I tried to complain to the police and local officials but to no avail. So I decided to meet chief minister Yogi Adityanth personally and inform him about my problem,” said Kori. When the school closed in lockdown, Kori decided to begin his journey. “My wife was pregnant with our second child and was due for delivery. So, I decided to wait a bit longer,” said Kori.
Kori’s wife gave birth to a son on March 18 and a month later, Kori started his journey moving on his tri-cycle along deserted roads under the hot sun, covering 7 to 8 km each day. At night, he took shelter near roadside police pickets. “I used to tell the policemen that I am a migrant worker and am going to the nearby town, so that they don’t stop me,” he said. Moving at will and with some help from passers-by who gave him food and water, Kori reached Lucknow in the first week of May.
His plans were to reach the chief minister’s residence. “The security guards near the CM’s house told me that the chief minister is not meeting anyone due to Covid-19. The officers gave me some food and asked me to return,” Kori remembered.
“But I decided to stay till I met the CM,” he added . The next day, Kori collected some Covid-19 pamphlets and started spreading awareness.