Higio Zarngam 

ITANAGAR, Apr 8: Surprisingly and fortunately, Covid-19 has made many a creative heads pop out of their slumber zones.
Lack of basic medical-related items like masks, sanitizers and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has made as much news as the disease Covid-19 itself, if not more. “It shocked me to see that my friend was going on duty without a mask, for there weren’t any more left in the market. It made me think of many others like her, some in even more vulnerable situations than her who are risking their lives to ensure that we remain safe,” said Joram Rosy, a studio potter, who then took it to herself to make these masks. To put her thoughts into action, she approached a designer friend, Minam Apang who already had knowledge about fabrics, stitching and other requirements. Together they made a prototype of the mask and got the sample approved by a doctor.
With some tailoring help from others and little donations from her family and close friends, the duo have now donated 100 masks to the Capital District Administration and around 200 masks to the Health Department of Yupia. While many might consider these masks as ineffective against the virus vis-à-vis N-95 masks, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading national public institute of the United States has advised using these low cost masks to slow the spread of virus and help those who may have the virus but are unknowingly transmitting it to others. CDC also recommended wearing face cloth coverings as an additional voluntary public health measure in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. The N-95 masks are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for the healthcare workers and other medical responders.
For Tadar Nimey, a Facebook post highlighting the shortage of doctor scrubs or gowns in hospitals, is what that triggered her conscience. A designer by profession, she decided to make use of her existing resources including her staff and had since then donated scrubs, surgical caps and masks to the TRIHMS. But with the nation under complete lockdown and ban on vehicular movement, commuting to her workplace has posed a big challenge. “I am grateful to my staff who followed my instructions step by step,” Nimey said, adding that without their help she would not have been able to make these things in such a short time.
There are many others like Rosy and Nimey who have responded to the call at a time when the entire world has been gripped by the pandemic. Some like Yomde Ete Bayang, Tadar Mena Deru, Tenzing Thongdok and Licha Pera have also involved themselves in making and donating these masks to the frontline health workers. Others like Nabam Serbang has helped in picking up these masks from Naharlagun and Nirjuli and dropping them at the destinations. A few others too have also volunteered to pay the tailors for these masks. 

A common deterrent these volunteers are facing is the lack of availability of material. If this is met, shortage of masks will be a thing of the past. Those mentioned here are all but a handful from a sea of entrepreneurs (mostly women), NGOs and SHGs who have voluntarily come out in these trying times to shoulder the responsibility, contributing their bit in the fight against the pandemic. Who said empathy has died!

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List