Heroes at home

"Vinayak, a resident of Chandgad in the Kolhapur district, received a call at 6 AM on 28 September regarding his father's critical state of health,” says Abhijeet. “He rushed to the hospital but couldn’t find his father in the trauma care ward in the government hospital. He was told that his father had been shifted and was no more.”

While still in shock after receiving the news, Vinayak surmised that a short-circuit fire accident and shifting might have taken his father's life. “Having sanitised the medical reports, Vinayak rushed to see his father one last time.

The hearse took his father's body for cremation. The District Magistrate appointed a probe for investigation along with fire and electrical audits,” adds Abhijeet, expressing condolences to Vinayak and to all the unsung heroes who lost their loved ones and continued to remain emotionally strong during the pandemic.

“This is my grandmother. She’s around 65 years old and is a farmer,” says Gajendra, commending his grandmother’s efforts to continue to farm during the pandemic despite her age.

Commenting on her crucial role in the management of the household, Gajendra says, “without her, many things are not properly managed. She is the best supervisor I've seen when it comes to getting work done, from the labourers on the farm and the people in our family alike.”

Capturing her conservative and cautious nature in his photograph, he marvels at the tremendous amount of unpaid labour most women continue to undertake well past their age of retirement in the form of household chores.

“While most working people can plan their retirement, people like my grandmother and most women just get to wonder about it. Maybe they retire from their professions, but they don't retire in their households. Hats off to them."

"Words fall short when I describe you, Karthik. With our family testing COVID positive, this year has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride,” says Bhumika, expressing unrestrained gratitude to her hero for having helped her family survive one of the most taxing periods of their lives.

“Throughout all of this you've shown us compassion, be it with the hospital visits every day or with making sure everything was ready once they were back. Always going out of your way to help someone and unapologetically being yourself, you inspire me to be a better human being with each passing day.”

Extending her thanks, she adds, “#My2020Hero is not just you, but our cute dog Speedy who has been through a lot this year. Knowing that she has you around makes life simpler.”

"Having been married at the age of 12, my grandmother did not have a great childhood,” says Harshitha, throwing light on her grandmother’s eagerness to see her great-grandchildren.

Revering her emotional strength in the face of grievous familial losses, Harshitha continues, “Having lost three of her children in the recent year, she's been incredibly strong, especially during the pandemic when she lost her brother to the virus. She's the woman I want to be. Strong, confident, and funny.”

"Keeper of my sanity, Anushka, is my new lockdown best friend,” says Shraddha, attributing a young tribal friend with having helped maintain her sanity during the pandemic. “She accompanies me every morning for walks near her hamlet in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, where malnutrition has increased by 2% among tribal children during COVID-19.”

Also bringing to the fore the adverse effects of the pandemic on mental health, Shraddha says, “the five-year-old picks up Mahua flowers on the way as we recite numbers upto a hundred. On one of our walks, she made two leaf garlands — one for her ‘gudiya’ and another for me, a gesture that helped my touch-starved self get through a particularly exhausting week of struggling with anxiety.”

Always decked out in bright-coloured clothes, little Anushka takes pride in matching her bangles with her shirts. With her father having lost his job as a construction labourer, the family now depends on Anushka’s mother to earn a livelihood by selling alcohol made of Mahua flowers.

"Here’s my whole 2020 pandemic period summed up in one picture,” says Asmitha, sharing a picture of her sister against the sky. The lockdown not only brought the two sisters closer than ever before but also gave Asmitha the chance to take delight in the ever-changing shapes and colors of the clouds.

“My sister was just my sister before the lockdown, but she’s now my actual, honest and amazing best friend. She’s my hero, because I don't think anyone in the world can make the most boring day bright and colorful and filled with laughter, joy and drama,” she continues, showering her sister’s ability to brighten up dull situations with acclaim.

“I also acknowledge the face mask which made its way into the limelight by playing an important role in protecting us from the virus. So, while I thought 2020 was my year to achieve more things in life, it taught me how valuable the things I am already blessed with are."

"Meet Shaurya, my hero,” says Etta, sharing a photograph of her son. “This is him celebrating his 7th Birthday with no friends and no party. The last time he stepped out of the house was in March this year, but he’s not complaining.”

Describing a journal Shaurya started keeping a few months back, Etta says, ”he has listed as many as 107 things he is thankful for, starting from food to the roof over his head, and the sun, the moon, and the stars."

“It forced me to change my perspective on life and the little things that we stop noticing. Shaurya is happy and content with what he has, is present in the moment, and is setting an example for the grown-ups in his family. All this and more makes my son My2020Hero."

"I nominate Mahesh Subramanian as my #reallifehero of this year,” says Karthik. Mahesh, along with his family and friends, has directly aided in uplifting the weakest sections of his community by extending help to the poor and needy. He has reached out to victims of natural disasters such as floods and cyclones, helped differently-abled people, and helped students in need with funds and laptops.

“Over the last decade, he must have touched thousands of lives. We can keep counting the number of people he has helped. Myself being counted is easy, he’s one of my best friends,” Karthik says, smiling, and adds, “he’s someone who lives happily and makes sure he shares, and keeps people around him happy, just like he happily shares this glass of tea with me.

While he is a professional wedding photographer running his brand 'oruphoto', he is also a passionate traveler, biker, and birdwatcher. Don't miss his two-minute tales to learn about the flora and fauna around you!”

"This year has undoubtedly been one filled with uncertainty and fear,” says Rhea. “However, there have been little silver linings of hope that have kept us going, whether these are moments, people, or in my case, art!”

Rhea’s hero of 2020 is her grandfather, Surendra Daulet-Singh, fondly known as Mickey. Talking about what keeps him going, she says, “in the midst of this tumultuous and panic-ridden pandemic, the twinkle in his eyes never ceased to diminish as he continued to immerse himself in the little joys life has to offer."

"He loves the ethereal paintings of Nicholas Roerich in particular, who was a friend of his grandfather’s.”