Shubham Dharmsktu’s phone beeps relentlessly, even as we speak. The 26-year-old’s number has become a sort of helpline to the many travellers — primarily foreigners — stuck in India due to the COVID-19 lockdown. There are calls coming in from Gaya, Dharamshala, Visakhapatnam, Goa...
It all started just before the first day-long curfew was announced on March 22. Shubham, a resident of Mumbai, was in Jaisalmer, shooting a documentary on the lives of different tribes. “I met a few friends from France and we realised things were crazy. Everything was shut around the fort area. Hotels, hostels, and houses were asking foreign guests to leave immediately,” recalls Shubham. They feared the guests might be carriers of COVID-19. He met a 25-year-old from South Africa who had gone on a three-day desert safari, only to return to Jaisalmer and find her belongings lying outside the hotel. “She told me foreigners were being harassed,” he says. A few people were even stopping to scream “Corona” at their faces before driving away.
So, Shubham gathered all the foreign nationals he met and took them to the hospital to get them tested. Once they tested negative and were cleared, he decided it was best for them to be in Delhi so that they could find a way to get back to their respective countries. “I found the last train leaving at 4.30 pm on Saturday. There were 12 of us. We boarded the train and found more people from Spain, Czech Republic, France...,” he says.
Another challenge loomed ahead. The train reached Delhi on Sunday at 10 am, during the Janta Curfew hours. Getting transport was a hassle. It cost ₹600 for a five-kilometre auto ride. Shubham started calling a number of hotels: while many were shut, some were apprehensive of foreigners. “Finally, Dhruvin Shah of Datstop Hostel in Vasant Kunj was welcoming of us. They needed to see the health certificate, which we provided,” he says. Since then, Shubham and his ragtag group of 15 travellers have made the hostel their base, till they can be evacuated back to their countries.
“I shared my number on Instagram (his page is Shubyatra), so anyone who is stranded, Indian or foreigner, can call me for help. I have been getting 50-plus calls every day,” says Shubham, who has also helped travellers find accommodation in other cities. For example, a group of Filipinos are stuck in Mumbai. Shubham helped them find space at Nap on Map, in Santacruz. “They didn’t
Part of his daily routine also involves picking up groceries and other essentials. “Some of the ATMs are not working in Delhi and a lot of shops insist on Paytm or Google Pay, which the foreigners don’t have. So it is better that I go out and run these errands.”
Works both ways
Recently, he received messages from Indian students in Ukraine and a few in Cebu, Philippines. “I am using what I like to call reverse connections. I ask the foreigners I have helped here to connect Indians stranded in their countries with their friends and other people who can help,” he says, adding that is how the ones in the Philippines found a place. “Social media connections also help,” he adds.
Shubham is currently busy with evacuations. He is helping French nationals reach the airport for an evacuation to France today. “A bus just came from Dharamshala, filled with French travellers who were holidaying there. Germany did an evacuation a couple of days ago and Israel before that,” he says.
Shubham understands that these are testing times. His new-found friends, who are still here, are traumatised by the experience. To keep them occupied during this phase of lockdown, he along with Dhruvin organises movie nights, yoga sessions, quizzes, cooking nights, so that everyone feels comforted and at home. After all, it is one world and everyone is in this together.
