Keonjhar/Jajpur: Chunmun Malik, 36, cannot forget the first few days following the announcement of the national lockdown due to COVID-19. With her husband Nakul Malik, 40, a migrant worker, away in Hyderabad and the pandemic beginning to wreck havoc across the country, Chunmun, alone in her mud and bamboo house in Purusottampur village under Lalitagiri panchayat of Mahanga block in Cuttack district, kept praying God to end the terrible time, soon. “It was the worst period of my life, I can’t describe how difficult it was,” reminisces Chunmun.
However, today, she thinks, the pandemic changed her life, in more than one way, for the better. As Nakul has decided not to go out to a distant place, the couple will stay together in their village, forever. Post completion of training conducted in a neighbouring village under Jajpur district by centre for youth and social development (CYSD), an NGO, Nakul has taken up a new job— mushroom farming. The couple has planned to complement each other and make their venture a success.
Incidentally, landless, Nakul, who had left for Hyderabad close to two decades back, begun his career as a helper in marble job, before, switching to cooking on the advice of an acquaintance. A few years after, he landed at a ‘decent hotel’ where he served as a chef, till COVID-19 broke out. His salary Rs20,000, plus one time free food.
“The customers were fond of the chicken items I prepared. The owner was happy with me, he is a very nice person,” tells Nakul. Chunmun recalls her few visits to Hyderabad.
According to Nakul, things were going well, before the pandemic. The restaurant’s business came to a grinding halt post lockdown and as a result, salaries of the forty staffs including Nakul were stopped. The owner though had made provision of ration for the employees.
However, one day, Nakul’s neighbour, died of coronavirus. Scared, Nakul left the rented accommodation and took shelter with his other colleagues in the restaurant, itself.
The severity of infection and news of rising deaths terrified, Chunmun. “We interacted three four times a day through mobile,” she says. Each time, she would advise her husband to stay calm and return home as soon as train services resumed.
Finally, after days of long wait, Nakul was lucky as he managed to reach home by a special train “The moment I reached home, the fears that gripped my mind, were almost over. We don’t need anything other than a square meal a day and a roof over us,” intones Nakul as Chunmun nods her head in agreement.
Interestingly, COVID-19 has not changed only Nakul’s annual routine. Scores of other migrant workers like him are now averse to the idea of annual migration. They aim to stay with their family members, devote their time and energies and earn well by growing and selling, mushroom.
Like Kaibalya Dandapat, 29, Nabhatna Naik, 23, of Jhatiasahi under Kundala panchayat of Saharapada block of Keonjhar district. Hundreds of others migrant workers in the adjoining villages, who also left home for distant cities, are not willing to step out for a job, either.
A senior citizen in Kundala informs that the reason of annual migration in this region is lack of employment avenues post paddy harvest. Those who are lucky get to work regularly, but the wage is far too less. “But, after the pandemic, not many are ready to go out. I think it’s a good change,” he believes.
The pandemic has created a sense of fear and insecurity, apprehension as well as skepticism, forcing them for a change in career options. “Life and family are the most precious things. Why should we risk both?” they ask. Also, they are not sure, whether their employers would absorb them, after these, life changing, past nine months.
Incidentally, just weeks after Kaibalya arrived home in early March this year, the national lockdown was announced. Till then, Kaibalya or anyone in his family that includes his widow mother and unmarried sister had any knowledge about Covid.
Nor, Nabhatna had any hint of the deadly disease. While Kaibalya was a casual labor in a plastic goods manufacturing unit, Nabhatna worked as a daily wager in a copper factory, both near Bangalore. Nabhatna had returned to his village, a couple of days ahead of Kaibalya.
Incidentally, families of both, Kaibalya and Nabhatna, like the other scheduled tribe migrant workers, own very little land. They have already harvested paddy and saved the rice straws and are in the initial stages of mushroom production. Last month, they learned the processes of mushroom farming at CYSD’s resource centre, a few kms away in Kapundi.
CYSD, besides, imparting training to 1800 youths- men and women- in three districts (Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and coastal Jajpur), is setting up a spawn unit to ensure supply of better quality seeds to the farmers. It’s already begun real time mentoring and handholding to the growers, through Whatsapp.
“It’s a tiny attempt to minimize distress migration; it’s not easy to stop the process, entirely,” says Program Manager, CYSD, Niladri Sahu. “The objective of the initiative is to create alternative livelihood option for the migrant workers. I am sure, once they succeed, others will be attracted to it.”
Kaibalya, Nabhatna and the other youths, say their families are yet to get over the traumatic images of migrant workers in the first three-four months of the pandemic. “COVID-19 has created a lot of doubts, full of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ in their mind, Sir,” puts, Nabhatna, who couldn’t complete his intermediate degree due to family’s condition.
Citing a few trainees of the locality who have already begun selling their produce, Kaibalya says, in the first month, they have earned Rs15,000-20,000. “It’s quite an amount,” he thinks. By his own admission, Kaibalya earned Rs 14000 a month and saved almost half the amount. It’s almost the same with the rest.
“Mushroom has a big market here. The biggest advantage is that it fetches returns in just over a couple of weeks,” the youths maintain, excitedly. They are confident before the end of the year, they would market the mushroom and make some money. Which, they intend to spend during the Makar Sankranti festival in January. With mushroom, their hopes, too, have begun to sprout. After a long time, though.
PNN