“This virus has come like a storm in all of our lives and disrupted what we call normal. Times like these make you grasp for the silver linings and that’s what we must cling to.” – Rohit Gurunath Sharma, Indian international cricketer
Jayanti Bhai Thakor has been a part of the IIT Gandhinagar family for the last nine years. A native of Palanpur city of Banaskantha district in Gujarat, he is a resident of the Palaj village near the Institute campus currently.
He is a horticulture supervisor at IITGN and guides the laborers working under him from 8 AM to 6 PM daily so that they can effectively perform their jobs (garden cultivation and management). Apart from this, he owns a dairy business and has been supplying milk to the residents of the housing area on the campus premises for the last five years. He also works as a farmer on his farm.
Talking about COVID-19, Jayanti Bhai expressed that this pandemic is damaging the entire world at a highly alarming pace. He believes that this infectious viral illness will not vanish so easily and will remain with us for at least one more year. However, given the present situation, it can always be more than that. In such a case, practicing social (physical) distancing is one of the best ways to stay safe. Furthermore, other necessary practices include wearing face-masks and washing hands properly with soap and water at frequent intervals. One should use an alcohol-based sanitizer, in case soap and water are not available.
“Since the first day of the nationwide lockdown imposed by the Government of India, I have advised my staff to follow all the precautions thoroughly. This has continued even after the lockdown has been removed and we have entered the unlock phase, in which the country is starting to resume some of its functions. Apart from other safety measures, sanitizers are kept in all the academic blocks and other places of the Institute and all of us apply/use them every 1-1.5 hours. As an active effort to main proper hygiene, a special emphasis is placed on taking a bath daily once we reach home after work,” he explained.
Discussing further, Jayanti Bhai said that their department was working even during the lockdown period. Some of the people who stayed far away from the campus were asked not to come to its premises initially during the lockdown days, for the sake of everyone’s health and safety. During those times, only the staff members from the nearby villages of Palaj and Basan came to work at the Institute. The protocols for the entry to and exit from the campus were made stricter and everybody implemented all the preventive steps with utmost priority and care.
In his words, “The horrors of the novel coronavirus disease have left many people jobless and it is very upsetting. As I and the other staff members are working at IITGN, our jobs have been unaffected. We are still getting paid for our work, unlike many other organizations that are no longer able to give salaries to their workers. And, for this, we are thankful to the Institute.”
Jayanti Bhai Thakor is very happy to be associated with IIT Gandhinagar. The Institute family has helped him several times in the past and is standing united with him during the present tough times as well. Remembering the old times, he stated that there was a phase when he wanted to start his own dairy business. But he did not have enough funds. At that time, the faculty members from the Institute helped him financially. With their support, he purchased a cow to start his business. Once his work stabilized, he returned their money. Now, he owns 15 cows and his diary works are thriving. He is proud to be a part of a place where people are so helpful and everyone is treated equally; where unity and care prevail.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —— — — — —
This article is authored by Apeksha Srivastava, with help from Dhara Vora.