“While it’s one thing to sit and complain about the inefficiency of the government during a pandemic, stepping up for the people around regardless of the given circumstances is a whole other ball game-or atleast one that made sense to me. You see, having the capability to earn money I feel is privilege enough to help the community. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since the lockdown.

Of course, this is not to say that my life is perfect. In fact it’s far from it but happiness, nevertheless, is a state of mind and I derive mine by being at the service of others. Moreover, not many know that I’m a survivor- of abuse and exploitation myself before I broke the shackles to slowly redefine my identity as an empowered, independent woman. People are often shocked to hear this when I narrate my life to them!

What’s more sad, although, is that the pandemic again made me go through the beats of domestic abuse, literally in the form of a crumbling toxic relationship. It was devastating to say the least, especially when this low was backed by another in the form of my layoff, a few months later. Yes! My company had left me jobless in January 2021, exactly a week before my birthday and that proved to be the final trigger.

I got swooped down into one of the worst phases of my life, from where the future seemed bleak with little to no hope. And these are details people on social media had no clue of while I was helping them out with food and other necessities. I was completely on my own, with just two rescue dogs by my side trying to forget my existing reality whilst not halting my contribution to the community.

And in a while, the change it sparked was significant! Many others from the city were also inspired to start food drives to help others and it made my heart happy. Seeing that, I knew I wanted to take another big step and try aiding those who had lost their jobs like me to get back up on their feet.

So I started collating a list of openings available in various companies and asked friends to add to it. I’d work on it daily, replying to queries from so many strangers and navigating them through their job search. The process was definitely exhausting but one that finally felt worth the hustle, especially when I’d open my eyes to happy messages from those who benefitted.

The best gesture till date for all my work had to be one where a couple named their daughter after me. I was speechless and realized the impact of all my efforts then. What felt even better was the whole soul searching paying off and me getting to understand what I truly loved doing. So this is me today- a pandemic survivor, taking baby steps towards better mental health, while trying her best to restore lost smiles on others!”