Forty-eight-year-old autorickshaw driver P. V. Raji gets a flurry of calls every day. Before COVID-19, these were her customers reaching out to her to get dropped at their destinations. Now, these are desperate calls from known and unknown families, all without food, and all reaching out to her for help. She makes a note of each one’s needs and then sits down to make over a dozen calls, seeking help for those in need.
Despite her own struggle over the last three months, Ms. Raji has distributed groceries to nearly 300 families, from fellow autorickshaw drivers to persons with disabilities. “This isn’t easy, but its possible because some customers and well-wishers come forward to donate. I continue to make requests on social media every now and then, and seeing that, people buy us provisions or send money with which I buy for these families,” she says.
Now, like most autorickshaw drivers, she too endures a struggle; but she says, her six sisters have taken turns to send her money for the last four months, with which she now runs her family. “I have to extend this kindness to others. I cannot afford to buy for everyone but I know which ones are distraught and hence seek out assistance for them and then distribute to various families every week or every 10 days,” she adds.
In 1999, Raji, married to the love of her life, came to Chennai from Coimbatore with a dream of nothing but a comfortable, happy life. She too, like many other women autorickshaw drivers in the city, faced an array of challenges, she says, and today that has made her determined to reach out to others. “Many are willing to donate, but don’t know how to find deserving people. I have realised there is a lot of happiness in giving. There are still several families who need food, and if more come forward to donate, more families will be able to eat,” she adds.
