Pandemic has claimed 122,149 lives in India. Today, India has at least 8,184,082 active cases of the deadly coronavirus. While a lot of people are not stepping out as they dread this deadly virus, it has not dampened the spirits of this 98 years old woman from Moga district, Punjab.
With the outbreak of Coronavirus, the government had made wearing face masks mandatory. At an age when women of her age are found confined to bed, Gurdev Kaur has been stitching masks for people on the streets.
In spite of the government announcing wearing masks as mandatory, Gurudev Kaur found that the vegetable sellers in their locality would not wear masks, and when she inquired why, they explained that they couldn’t afford it. Hence, Gurdev Kaur decided to help them.
Moved by this selfless gesture, Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh’s heart melted, making him share her video on Twitter with a caption, ”The strongest Corona Warrior of Punjab is 98-year-old Gurdev Kaur from Moga who with her family is stitching masks for Punjab. Such selfless dedication of Punjab is proof of how strong we are & that we will overcome any challenge which comes our way.”
Since the pandemic, this nonagenarian’s life has changed drastically.
After waking up early for daily prayers, she gets back to stitch face masks for the poor who cannot afford it. Belonging to Moga, Kaur has been preparing masks despite a blurred vision.
People on the streets cannot afford to buy masks, especially during lockdown many of the street vendors have lost their livelihood and depend solely on their daily wages.
“I thought this is the only way I can help them by making masks for them. So that they can wear it to protect themselves from coronavirus,” says Gurdev Kaur. Now, many people have started coming to her house to get free face covers.
With the outbreak and lockdown in our country, life definitely came to a standstill for many. On one hand people lost their jobs. Many youngsters and businessmen who were left with no incomes or nowhere to look for jobs ended up committed suicides. Amidst all these, Gurdev Kaur’s story is one of inspiring. The inspirational woman’s story has been making rounds on twitter for her heart-warming dedication to public service.
(The writer is the founder of Powerful Teachers)
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