GOOD NEWS:Unique COVID-safety device, Extending Help to the Needy,Bouts of Inspiration & More

A Tool for COVID-safety

innovation With the second wave of COVID-19 spreading across the country, physical distancing has become more important than ever. To help people practice this necessary precaution two high-school students from Patna—Arpit Kumar, and his brother Abhijeet Kumar, from the Bihar Bal Bhawan Kilkari are doing their bit by developing a unique alert device that measures and  alerts the bearer if anyone with a higher than normal body temperature is close by. The device, called Contactless Temperature and Distance Measuring, is as big as a badge and can be pinned on one’s clothes. The brothers developed the innovation, which works on infrared sensitivity, over four months during last year’s lockdown. With the institute’s help, they have registered the device with a government agency and received a patent certification this year.

Meals for Ailing Folk

Giving When a family member tested positive for COVID-19, sisters Anupama, 32, and Neelima Singh,26, and their mother Kundan Devi witnessed first hand how difficult it can be for ailing folk to prepare their own meals while isolating at home.The trio began preparing and sending meal packets from their home in Patna’s Rajendranagar for patients who reach out to them through social media. Neelima rides as far as 15 km a day to deliver the food. “We have dedicated all our savings, which were kept for marriage, anniversaries and birthday functions for the next year, to continue serving free food to COVID-19 patients,” Anupama said.

Help for the Stranded

Community In December 2020,France abruptly banned all travellers and freight from the UK after the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant.The fallout? Hundreds of Europe bound transport-truck drivers were stranded on a British motorway en route to cross the English Channel.Two local Sikh groups—a branch of the NGO Khalsa Aid and the Guru Nanak Darbar temple—quickly leapt into action, and, in the pouring rain,delivered 500 free chickpea curries and 300 mushroom-and-pasta dishes to drivers who, in some cases, ended up being marooned for a week.“If we see a need,” says Jagdev Singh Virdee, the temple’s general secretary, “we fill the gap, and go beyond."

“Before I Go ...”

Service Rafique Siddiqui, the principal of Holy Mother School in Malwani, Mumbai, was desperately trying to locate an oxygen cylinder for the COVID-positive husband of one of his teachers who was having trouble breathing. High demand for medical oxygen due to a massive uptick in COVID cases in the country made the quest an uphill task but he knew one person who could help. His friend,54-year-old event decorator Pascol Saldhana, would likely have a spare oxygen cylinder since his wife Rozy was diagnosed with kidney failure five years ago and her critical condition required a robust medical set up at home. 51-year-old Rozy immediately agreed to share her spare cylinder with the patient, despite her own health issues, thus saving a life.Her desire to help did not stop there. As Maharashtra, like many other states, faced diminishing supply of oxygen cylinders,

Pascol and Rozy Saldhana

Rozy sold her jewellery to raise `80,000 and purchased more oxygen cylinders to help others who could not afford one for themselves. The family has so far helped six people procure oxygen free of cost and continue to attend to similar requests for help. “I do not know how long I will live. But before I go, I want to help as many people as possible,” Rozy tells The Better India.