KHAMMAM: At a time when most people are refraining from going out due to the COVID pandemic, 51-year-old Lanka Kondaiah, a mimic and folk artiste, is busy creating awareness on the pandemic among those belonging to poor economic and social backgrounds. Unlike the conventional activists who spread awareness through notices, pamphlets or long speeches, Lanka Kondaiah’s mediums are dramas and folk songs.
Lanka Kondaiah, a health supervisor in Mahdira division, started the initiative after noticing that even though the State, authorities concerned and the media have been taking measures to educate the citizens about the spread of the virus, those belonging to poor social backgrounds who live in the rural areas, still don’t have a clear picture about the deadliness of Covid.
Taking cognisance of this, Kondaiah decided to utilise his holidays and weekends for educating the poor and helping them take precautionary measures against the virus. It is not the first time that Kondaiah came up with such an initiative. In fact, he has been a frontline warrior in spreading awareness among the people on various diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), HIV and AIDS, for the past 25 years.
Without taking any help from outsiders, Kondaiah has been organising such programmes by spending money from his own pocket. He has toured around 29 villages in the district by now and has performed dramas, folk songs and mimicry events for the poor. Speaking to Express, he said: “After noticing that many people living in rural areas are still not aware of COVID, I decided to educate them about the deadliness of the virus.”
Funds his own campaigns
A health staffer by profession, 51-year-old Lanka Kondaiah, spreads awareness on the pandemic through various dramas and folk songs. Kondaiah has been organising such programmes by spending money from his own pocket. He has toured around 29 villages in Khammam district