Igniting Smiles, by Nirnay Chettri, Kolkata
Born, raised, and currently residing in Darjeeling, West Bengal, Nirnay enjoys igniting the smiles of individuals in simple yet effective ways.
On March 1st, 2020, we had just started our new project. COVID-19 had begun sweeping the world, and globally, countries started going on lockdown. India, too, announced a country wide lockdown on March 24th, and we had to close down our office.
Darjeeling has witnessed political disturbances in the past- 40 and 105 days strikes- and I knew the weaker sections of society would be badly affected. I had no idea how long this lockdown would last, and hence, with the help of some of my friends, we opened a food bank.
On April 1st, 2020, the government of West Bengal declared that it would be distributing free rations to its citizens. This was a welcome move. However, there were some setbacks, as many people didn’t have the proper documents to receive aid.
Although we were not financially sound, the adage, “If you follow, it will fly, if you fly, it will follow,” kept us moving. We started helping to raise funds ourselves, and eventually contributions from friends and well-wishers poured in. We were able to raise rupees 350,000. With this money, we reached out to the closed tea gardens in Darjeeling.
Then, my dream of supporting Chengrabanda, a red light area in the Indo-Bangladesh border, finally became a reality. To get to this place, we would have to cross four districts, but movement during the lockdown was restricted. Our work, posted on Facebook, got noticed, and we received additional funds. Gorkhey, Samanden, Dara Gaon, Siri Khola, and Rammam are villages in the Singalila Forest Range. Some of them are not accessible by road because of the mountainous terrain. It was a challenging task; ‘til then, no one had dared to venture into these areas. We made up our minds and arranged for the relief materials to be transported on ponies to the inaccessible areas, while we ourselves trekked.
We decided to do follow-up relief in Chengrabanda, too. Seeking permission from four district officials was again a big challenge. We did it, nevertheless, and one lady, after receiving supplies, went into her room and handed us her only possession, a bouquet of roses. This was one of the most beautiful moments of my life as a social worker.
The path I have chosen, to serve humanity despite all the obstacles I have had to overcome on this arduous journey, seemed to have come to fruition. The journey never ends, though, and we must plod on and ignite more and more smiles for as long as we can.
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(This story was prepared for an “Imagine Another World” online storytelling workshop held October 14, 2020.)
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