When actors turn saviours

Actor Upendra with the grocery kits provided to beneficiaries. DH Photo

ActorsHarshika Poonacha and Bhuvann distribute food grains to the needy in Bengaluru. Photo by S K Dinesh

Free auto service launched through Bhuvanam Foundation in Bengaluru. Photo by S K Dinesh

Caron Vijay (name changed), six months pregnant, was affected by Covid. She was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru where oxygen support kept her going for a while. As her condition worsened, she was in dire need of a ventilator.

Her husband and his brother Manoj Kumar made frantic calls to friends, acquaintances and hospitals to get a ventilator when volunteer groups came to their rescue.

“Help poured in from unknown quarters. It was as if the whole city was trying to save a mother and her child. After a 10-hour ordeal, we finally found a ventilator, thanks to actor Bhuvann Ponnannaa and his team. Eventually, Caron became stable,” recollects Manoj.

Caron’s case is among many such instances across the state.

With the state in the midst of the second Covid wave, voluntary efforts are on in full swing and among them are actors, who have launched their own initiatives, to help people in distress.

Actor Bhuvann and his team have been working round-the-clock to help Covid patients under Bhuvanam, a voluntary organisation set up during the second Covid wave. What prompted him to start it? “During a live interview, one of my fans sought my number for some help during Covid. That was picked up by TV channels and shared,” says Bhuvann, whose phone began ringing non-stop after that.

“Most of the queries were about ICU beds, oxygen cylinders and medicines,” says Bhuvann.

Later, he converted his personal number into a helpline and formed a WhatsApp group with doctors, politicians and his friends as members. “In 20 days, we saved 180 lives. We also put in place a team to scrutinise the calls to find out their genuineness,” he says.

Bhuvann has, so far, reached out to people in Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts with medical aid and grocery kits.

Friends in need

While actor Sadhu Kokila has been helping musicians in the Kannada film industry with groceries, Upendra has been distributing grocery kits to about 3,000 families employed in the film industry, which has been badly hit by the pandemic.

“We started distributing grocery, enough for a month, during the first Covid wave and scaled it up this time. By this, we are making sure that nobody goes hungry,” said Upendra.

The state-wide initiative has seen actors B Saroja Devi, Shobaraj and Pawan Wadeyar joining hands with Upendra.

“Because of the lockdown, we collected the kit from Upendra’s house this time. With no steady income, these groceries have come as a blessing to the film industry,” said Ragunandan S, a beneficiary.

Aid in vaccination

Actor Aryann Santosh along with 150 volunteers of India Foundation has provided food to around 30,000 people in this current lockdown.

“We divided Bengaluru into four zones and helped the most vulnerable groups. We have distributed grocery kits to migrant workers, Bengaluru police and ashrams looking after children and cancer patients, and nutritious food kits to patients,” said Aryann adding that his group is providing ambulance service and oxygen in emergency cases and supporting nurses and doctors.

Aryann is also in the process of procuring vaccines to immunise 300 seniors citizens from old age homes in Bengaluru.

Using social media

After her mother Sudha Belawadi tested positive, actor Samyukta Hornad realised the anxiety and distress the Covid-affected people go through. She quickly formed 15 WhatsApp groups and roped in 200 volunteers including actors to extend help.

As per Samyukta, they have helped people get beds, supplied oxygen concentrators, provided ventilator support, coordinated for plasma treatment, distributed food kits and saved animals in distress.

“Since I had to be quarantined too, the volunteers got down to the ground work,” said Samyukta.

Roopa Rao, an HR professional, whose entire family had tested positive, feels that social media can make a huge difference. She said that after her friend put out their address and phone number on social media, Samyukta’s team reached out to them. “We felt reassured that somebody was there for our support,” says Roopa.