“Be Strong. Be Kind. Be Humble. Be Helpful. Be Positive. Be Safe. We all will get through this crisis together.”

Shailesh Prajapati has been a part of the IIT Gandhinagar family for the last nine years. A resident of the Gurukul area, near Himalaya mall in Ahmedabad, he lives in a joint family with his parents, wife, kid, brother and brother’s wife.

Since 2011, Shailesh is working as a housekeeping supervisor on the campus. He guides the housekeeping staff so that they can effectively perform their jobs (such as cleaning of fans, lights, furniture, kitchen, washrooms, etc.) and ensures that they all follow good and hygienic work practices. He is also involved in maintaining the Institute guest house in Blocks 5, 6, and 9. Here, his work responsibilities include receiving the guests, taking care of their luggage, and making proper arrangements for their food and stay. Moreover, the guests can easily contact him (his contact number is displayed in the mess area of the guest house) in case they need any further assistance.

Expressing his views and concerns on the COVID-19 pandemic that is disrupting our lives in the present times, he said that this situation is, indeed, worrisome. Since March, he is constantly making sure that the entire housekeeping team strictly sticks to all the safety precautions as advised by the Government and Health Authorities of India

“We never enter the houses and rooms without masks and gloves. While working, we are extremely careful to follow the norm of social (physical) distancing. To contain the spread of this disease, we also wash our hands frequently with soap and water, and use alcohol-based sanitizers provided by the Institute,” he explained.

Discussing further, Shailesh stated that life has almost come to a standstill because of this viral illness. In the pre-COVID-19 world, the campus guest house was full of people who came to IITGN for various academic and professional purposes. The air was always filled with interesting chitchats and the smell of delicious food. In the housing area, children played together and adults talked to each other in groups. People enjoyed spending time with one another. But now, these activities are not possible. Talking about life outside the Institute, he elaborated that pretty much everything was closed because of the lockdown until recently – multiplexes, movie-theatres, restaurants, and even the various means of transportation. Shailesh understands the graveness of this situation and this is the reason why he has not met his relatives for the past few months. He feels that the internet is the best means for people to stay connected with their near and dear ones in the present scenario. Platforms such as WhatsApp, which offer features like messaging, voice and video calls, are a good way to talk to friends and family virtually.

“I think that the novel coronavirus disease will stay with us for some more time. It might be for another six months, a year or two, or maybe even more. As of now, it does not have any treatment or vaccination. Every day in the news, I see that the number of infected cases and deaths in Gujarat is continuously increasing. This rise has been even more significant since the Government lifted the nation-wide lockdown. There is no other way. Isolation is very important in this case – for everyone’s health and safety,” he added.

Shailesh covers a distance of about 70 km every day while commuting between his house in Ahmedabad and IITGN, using the Institute bus service. He carries with him, at all times, a sanitizer and wears gloves and mask while traveling. He takes proper care of his hygiene because he is well aware of how easily SARS-CoV-2 spreads and hence, does not want to, at any cost, bring this virus inside the campus that has successfully been completely coronavirus-free till now. “I am concerned and careful not just about my safety, but also the health and safety of the IITGN community and my family. Until we have a cure, prevention is the best strategy that we can have!” he mentioned.

According to him, there are many workers who are staying inside the Institute premises nowadays and IITGN is constantly taking care of their needs, ensuring that they have access to healthy food, hygienic rooms and washrooms, and all the basic amenities.

Shailesh has a son who recently passed the 7th standard and is presently staying at home since all the educational institutions throughout the country are closed in the wake of this pandemic. His brother works in real estate but has not been able to earn his living for the last 2-3 months. Furthermore, his father is also retired from the job. In such a case, he is the sole breadwinner of his family for some time now. Because of his association with IITGN, he has been able to successfully feed his family-members during these tough times. He described that given the seriousness of this crisis, the police officials stopped him sometimes to verify where he was going. He would show them the letter from the Institute along with his id card, explaining to them about his job and they, eventually, let him pass. 

Shailesh Prajapati is proud to be a part of IIT Gandhinagar and is thankful to its family for standing united with him in such times. He is grateful to the faculty, students, and other staff of this Institution for being consistently helpful. He urges everyone to take all precautionary steps, stay safe and positive.

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This article is authored by Apeksha Srivastava.