Everyone fights their own battles : Corona Chronicle #075

She lived alone in a rented house in Andhra Pradesh and worked as domestic help in local houses.

She asked for a leave to visit some relatives in Raighad just a day before the nationwide coronavirus lockdown was announced.

She got stuck there because all this was sudden.

While she was there, she started worrying about losing her job if her employers got annoyed.

She though that they would find replacements and she would be unemployed.

So she made up her mind, packed her bags and started walking from Raighad.

She walked for 120 kilometres back to her colony.

When she was entering the house, her neighbours started making a chaos and refused her from stay amid them.

They feared that she may have the virus and would spread it among them too.

She felt frustrated and because she had no other option, she got herself tested for coronavirus and her results came negative.

The ASHA workers brought her back in an ambulance and dropped her at a distance from the house.

With a triumphant smile and reports in her hands, she went to unlock her door.

The neughbours again raised an objection and said she should be in institutional quarantine for 14 days.

She was disappointed and left with her head hung low.

She went to her relative’s place.

When she came back again the next day, she again faced the resistance from the neighbours.

On 23rd, local officials escorted her to her house and warned them with booking criminal cases if they harass her and even arranged ration for her.

Her name is Vavilapalli Lakshmi and is 53 years old.

Everyone fights their own battles.

Disclaimer: Based on true events.

– Tanisha Agrawal