A half marathon – for the stranded migrant workers in India

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(Originally published in LinkedIn on May 17, 2020)

#migrant-worker #covid-19 #marathon #running
    
     In these unprecedented times of social distancing, we have ingeniously devised virtual meetings, virtual concerts, virtual dinners. What is stopping us from running a virtual race? 

    I came across an opportunity to run the NYRR virtual Brooklyn Half. Though rusty, 7 months after completing the #Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2019, I took up the challenge. 

     I would have loved to run the Brooklyn half in the beautiful borough of New York City but had to be satisfied running it around the scenic Chase, Polaris campus at Columbus., Ohio. The organizers of NYRR virtual Brooklyn Half could make this virtual race work by leveraging the running app Strava that recorded our run and relayed it to them. The organizers did a great job with a virtual bib and virtual medal and a finish certificate. I was happy, I could complete the half marathon 21 Kms / 13 miles with a time of 2 hrs. 33 mins and 18 secs. 

     But this post is not about my half marathon. I ran this race to show my solidarity with the stranded migrant workers in India impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

     India is home to tens of millions of migrant workers who migrate to urban India from rural pockets of North and North Eastern part of India in search of livelihood. They leave their families and children to meek out a living, working in Construction, Retail, Hotel and other industries. These industries need these workforce as it is economical to hire these labour and keep their production and the Indian economy growing. 

     The lockdown on India has left these labour force stranded without jobs in a migrant state and away from their families. Many don’t have money to support during these times as they are without jobs. With the lockdown there is no means of transport to go to their homes too. Many in desperation have started walking thousands of miles. The current stranded workers' exodus is being talked about as the next big exodus after the Indian partition, that displaced tens of millions of people. 

     It is a sad plight to see the multitude of stranded workers who had to walk hundreds of miles, without proper food, shelter and many have died on their journey back due to accidents. They are not equipped to make this arduous journey, but with the single pursuit of reaching their family, they walk with hope. Compared to their misery, my half marathon could be at the most a walk-in-the-park. 

     In my effort to help these migrants I came across a volunteer charity organization that works on getting relief to the migrant workers. I have reached out to them to contribute whatever little monetary help I can. Those who wish to contribute can reach them through their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Stranded-Workers-Action-Network-113233390361026/ Their e-mail id is swanindia2020@gmail.com. 

     For the most recent article on the stranded workers in India on Washington Post or Wall Street Journal, you can read them below: 

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/for-indias-stranded-workers-an-impossible-choice-destitution-or-a-dangerous-road-home/2020/05/14/6ab16680-95e9-11ea-87a3-22d324235636_story.html 

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/indias-migrant-laborers-begin-heading-home-as-coronavirus-lockdown-eases-11589196559 


 Every step to help these stranded workers counts!

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