The bravehearts who stood the test of lockdown

When Manoj Kumar of Chinmayee Enterprises received the contract of sanitising Covid-19 positive patient MLA Dr Bharat Shetty’s flat in Blueberry Hills, many envied his luck on landing such a lucrative contract within a short span of launching the sanitisation business.

But not known to many, the same luck had deserted Manoj during the Covid-19 crisis. Manoj, with two decades of experience in pest management, was forced to give up a promising career in a private company, as his six-year-old daughter and mother often fell sick and could not cope with Davangere weather.

Much against the advice of his colleagues, he resigned the same month when the lockdown was imposed to contain Coronavirus. Without a job, Manoj was under huge stress as he had to run from one hospital to another seeking treatment either for his daughter or mother.

After shifting to Mangaluru, Manoj did not sit idle during the lockdown period. He teamed up with his sister to launch Chinmayee Enterprises and prepared himself to launch sanitisation works where he had limited knowledge. He sought help from friends, relatives and also used social media to market his new venture.

Video clippings

Manoj knew he was on the right track when a competitor contacted him to check how reliable he was. Manoj roped in his brother-in-law to impress upon the clients that they were trustworthy and could execute any job with the help of a string of video clippings downloaded from the internet.

Manoj did not even have chemicals needed for sanitisation work when he got the first contract. His hard work paid off and today Manoj’s services are priced in the range between Rs 750 (up to 600 sqft) and up to Rs 4,000 (per sqft being 80 paise) attracts customers as far as from Hebri.

Cooks were the worst-hit during the Covid-19 crisis. Padmanabha Bhat working as a cook in Uppangala in Kasargod district was without a job for more than three months. Bhat did not lose faith in himself and borrowed some money from well-wishers. He today prepares and sells mouth-watering eatables, sweets to neighbours within 10 km radius.

Pani poori Kit

Raju Sharma was at the peak of success with hundreds of customers queuing up to relish his famed "Marlu Masalapuri" at Badiyadka in the neighbouring Kasargod district. But the Covid-19 crisis struck and he was penniless again. Sharma was not disheartened.

With the encouragement of his wife Ashwini, Sharma now ekes a decent living by selling ready-to-cook "Pani poori Kit" at the doorstep of customers and catering to small parties with attendees being less than 50. Sharma is confident of surviving the Covid-19 crisis and knows that the present hard work is linked to his prosperity, which is not too far away.