KOCHI: When a harried migrant labourer from West Bengal calls the Covid control room at the Collectorate, he heaves a huge sigh of relief when the person on the other end responds in his language. So does a migrant labourer from Assam or Odisha.
The person who puts them at ease is Supriya Debnath, a migrant link worker with the district administration. Fluent in five Indian languages, including Malayalam, Supriya deftly handles the hundreds of similar calls received at the control room every day.
“The migrant labourers call the control room talking about how worried they are about their jobs and whether they would be able to return home,” said Supriya. Despite the huge volume of calls, Supriya’s voice never falters nor does the smile fade from her face, something which is reflected in the way she replies to the caller in fluent Bengali, Odia, Assamese, Hindi or Malayalam.
Supriya said she came to Kerala with her husband Prashant Kumar five years ago from Kendrapara district in Odisha. “The only things we had as possessions when we arrived were the thirst to study and
the hope for a better life. It was during this time that the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan was setting up facilities in schools to let children of migrant labourers study in their languages.”This helped Supriya don the teacher’s role.
“Since then, I have been teaching at Malayidam Thuruthu GLP School,” she said. She also took up the role of an education volunteer in the Roshini project of the state government. “It was while I was preparing to return to Odisha that Covid-19 happened,” she said.
When she heard that a control room is being set up for migrant workers at the civil station, she volunteered as the migrant link worker. Bidding her holidays goodbye, Supriya got busy answering calls and allaying the concerns of migrant workers.
“Most calls are regarding the distribution of food in the camps. Sometimes we receive calls from other states. However, the latter enquire about the safety measures that need to be taken to be safe from Covid,” said Supriya, who has a four-year-old daughter Shubhasmita.
Supriya said she has several plans for the coming academic year. “I could study till Class XII only. While continuing as a teacher, I want to join a BA Hindi course now,” she said.