VILLUPURAM: In dire times such as now, a shred of compassion and resolve to help can go a long way in lifting people’s spirits. In one such instance, a photo studio owner distributed gifts to residents of a quaint village near Ulundurpet, to encourage them to get vaccinated.
Last three days, a medical team from a rural health centre at Kiliyur has been conducting vaccination camp in Kunnathur village. Owing to misinformation and unfounded fears, only 25 people from the village that houses around 3,000 adults, received the vaccine dose. In this situation, R Thambidurai (30), a photo studio owner in the village, devised a plan.
“I arranged some kitchen utensils like plates, tiffin boxes and tumblers, and decided to gift them to the people taking vaccine on Monday. My trick worked and 80 people from the village took the dose, which is over thrice the number of persons who took the vaccine on the first two days. Actually, more people would have taken the jab if vaccine stock was available. The medical team had brought less vials considering the previous days’ turnout.
In another incident, a Puducherry-based man, who has settled in Delhi and runs a chain of restaurants, extended his vacation in Puducherry to help the needy during this pandemic situation. “As our restaurants in Delhi were closed due to the lockdown, my parents and I came to Puducherry for a vacation,” said DM Varun.
“During the stay, I saw lots of people struggling in the border areas and the number of positive cases were increasing day by day. I began to distribute rice, vegetables, herbal masks and sanitisers to auto drivers, roadside vendors and others. I want to help more people tide over this crisis,” Varun added.