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Journalism of Courage
WHEN HEAVY rains rendered the railways and roadways non-functional, social media came to the rescue of stranded commuters where they could find good Samaritans opening their doors to strangers. Through tweets, facebook posts and WhatsApp messages, many stranded Mumbaikars found shelter at nearby residences and offices.
“I was stuck at Charni Road station for three hours and had nowhere to go when the train services stopped. Taxis, too, were not plying,” said Mallika Singh, a technical trainer and beautician, whose office is at Girgaum. After struggling for hours, Singh found shelter through Facebook and Twitter at a home in Girgaum and soon walked over to the house of a stranger, Nitin Thakur. Thakur had found out about her plight through social media and immediately made arrangements. “My niece found out about Mallika on FB. She asked me for help and I made the arrangements. We have advised her to stay until the rain subsides…,” said Thakur, a businessman.
Started by Jayakrishnan R, a Bengaluru-based copywriter, a Twitter thread #RainHosts generated huge response from people volunteering to provide food and shelter. The idea, according to Jayakrishnan, struck him when he saw some of his friends and family members in Mumbai stuck in rain. “I had briefly experienced the Chennai floods and had realised the power of Twitter. It is fast and disseminates information to a larger audience in seconds. I decided to make use of it with a few tweets,” said Jayakrishnan.
However, when the tweets were emulated by other residents, he decided to curate these and create a thread. Later, his friends created an auto-updating Google spreadsheet that picked up and compiled all the tweets. “Many are trying to get to their homes and are getting stuck. We had a couple of people come in for a few of hours to rest and freshen up,” said Moresha Benjamin, a dog trainer in Santacruz. Late on Tuesday, she hosted a friend’s colleague who was returning to Wadala from BKC.
“It is wonderful how so many people have come forward to the rescue of those stuck in rains,” said Pooja Pangam, who has offered to help people stuck at Andheri West. Meanwhile, government colleges such as Sydenham and Government Law College, too, opened their gates to anybody stranded in south Mumbai. Several WhatsApp groups also forwarded the names and telephone numbers of volunteers in various areas, gurdwaras offering food and more.
Some restaurants invited stranded Mumbaikars in too. Bombay Canteen in Lower Parel, for example, had closed its kitchens but not its space. “The restaurant was open for lunch, will be closed for dinner. As most train lines are down, employees will be at the restaurant along with chef Thomas and me, playing carrom and drinking fresh juices.The Bombay Canteen is accommodating guests with hot tea and coffee but the kitchen is closed,” said Yash Bhanage, partner at the restaurant. They also tweeted that those needing shelter were welcome for a cup of tea.
(Inputs from Pooja Pillai)
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