Exercise, nutritious food, and movies: A relief camp for guest workers in Chennai that’s home away from home

Chennai: Mounting concerns about the loss of livelihood, not having enough money and the pain of being away from loved ones is a painful reality that many guest workers face on a daily basis during the lockdown. Most of the workers remain in cities that are far from their hometowns, while a few try all possible means to return home during a nationwide lockdown.

But a relief camp in Tamil Nadu's Chennai, run by the Home Guards and the Guru Nanak Educational Society offers nutritious food, sports, entertainment and above all, a safe place to stay, during the hard times. 

The camp was started on March 30 at the Guru Nanak College in Chennai’s Velachery Area. The 25-acre campus houses 377 workers who hail from Odisha and were working as loaders in the heavy industries in and around Chennai. The camp doesn’t stop with providing accommodation but ensures the holistic well being of the guest workers. 

“They are served three nutritious meals with tea in between, there is also one-hour physical exercise, yoga session in the evening, there are some motivational talks to keep them happy and sound. We have also made arrangements for two TVs and during the nights we use a projector to screen some movies for their entertainment," said Sanjay Bhansali, Area Commander, Home Guards North.

While the camp is being run by the Home Guards and the Guru Nanak Educational Society, the government and civic authorities arrange regular doctor visits and disinfectant spraying in order to maintain the facility clean. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister,  top Police Officials and also opposition leaders have also inspected the camp and lauded the efforts to keep the workers safe and healthy. 

“We have made all arrangements for their basic needs and have ensured the supply of toiletries, bed sheets, towels, and some shirts and dhotis. There’s adequate social distancing also being maintained as they are segregated by age and only 10 members sleep on the benches in the large classrooms, that accommodate over 60 students. Everyone wears a mask and we also don’t allow outsiders within the campus," Bhansali added. 

The camp is manned by 50 members of the Home Guard, who work in three shifts and take care of all the needs right from cooking to the procurement of essentials. Over 1800 Home Guards are posted across the City of Chennai on daily duty, they are involved in assisting the police at marketplaces, checkpoints, ration shops, etc. 

Besides the activities in the camp, the Home Guards have also arranged doctors and other persons who are conversant in Odiya to address the workers on a regular basis. “While the workers are naturally longing to return home to their loved ones, we are trying and providing them the maximum that we can to ensure that our camp is as comfortable as we can make it,” Bhansali added.