Ex-servicemen join volunteers in reaching rations to tribals, stranded truckers

Lt Commander Satya (retd. Indian Navy) trekked for 14 hours in the toughest terrains of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu in April to take essential commodities to 230 families of a tribal community.

He is not a lone 'fighter' who is braving all odds to help the tribals, stranded truckers and the poor families struggling to get food during this COVID-19 lockdown. He is part of Armour of Care (AoC)- a group of volunteers comprising ex-army officers, doctors and young civilians who have teamed up to feed the hungry since the lockdown came into force on March 25.

Satya, as he is known, helped reach about one ton ration goods to the tribal families to help them survive during these hard times. After the Coimbatore-based group learnt tribals were struggling to get food and their survival was at stake, their members swung into action and distributed rice and other essential commodities, a volunteer of AoC said. The volunteer added that the tribal settlements had received help during the lockdown for the first time from AoC. The AoC has covered about 11 villages having about 200 families around Pillur dam, Mettupalayam.

On Monday, the AoC members delivered 40 kits of ration through its volunteers to a stranded trucker at Thandalam near Chennai and were pleasantly surprised after accomplishing the task. A stranded truck driver Ansari called them several times since the last two days pleading that he was in dire need for essential commodities. However, what happened later moved the AoC members.

After receiving the goodies, Ansari called up to say he apportioned the ration for almost 100 people. "They are all like me... how can I eat alone? he asked. Recently, the AoC purchased three tonnes of cabbage from a farmer in Karnataka bordering Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu, and distributed the same to the community kitchens in Chennai that are involved in preparing food and also to the poor and stranded people in the metro. They reached out after the farmer raised an SOS that he was unable to sell the produce, harvested at a cost of around Rs four lakh.