‘No Hindu should return without help’ — Covid aid has no religion for these Lucknow masjids

As much as 71 per cent of the population in Lucknow is Hindu, and 2 Jama Masjids made it clear that aid was not to be restricted to Muslims.

A volunteer carries an oxygen concentrator at Jama Masjid, Kapurthala, Lucknow | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Lucknow: It was towards the end of March, just as the second wave of Covid-19 was taking hold over India, that the managing committees of two Lucknow mosques — Jama Masjid, Lalbagh, and Jama Masjid, Kapurthala — convened a meeting.

Members of the committees had spoken to doctors about the emerging situation, and they wanted to pitch in. A decision was taken: From the first week of April, the masjids would help people with oxygen cylinders and concentrators, and other things they may need amid the pandemic. All their efforts, it was decided, would keep one key calculation in mind.

As much as 71 per cent (2011 Census) of the population in Lucknow is Hindu, and under no circumstances was the mosques’ aid to be restricted to Muslims. This has been the masjids’ mantra since then.

Over the past two months, the masjids claim to have helped over 600 families in the city, over 50 per cent of whom were Hindus. 

“We saw that there was hardly anyone in the close and extended circles who didn’t get infected with the virus. We called a meeting at the end of March and devised a plan for the public, after consulting doctors,” said Zunnoon Nomani, president of the Jama Masjid Lal Bagh committee.

Zunnoon Nomani (R), president of the Jama Masjid Lalbagh committee, with the general secretary | | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

“Around 70-75 per cent of the population here is of Hindus, so we instructed everyone working here to make sure no Hindu brother returns home without help. Since then, no Hindu has returned empty-handed from here,” Nomani said.

Mohammed Azhar of the Kapurthala Jama Masjid committee echoed the claim, noting that “over 60 per cent of the over 500 families we have helped are Hindus”.

‘They saved my life’

Y.P. Singh, 82, a retired civil engineer in Lucknow, was in dire need of an oxygen concentrator after his cylinder ran out in the first week of May. Speaking to ThePrint, he said he owes his life to Jama Masjid Lalbagh.

Y.P. Singh, 82, a retired civil engineer in Lucknow, sought help from Jama Masjid Lalbagh | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

“I called up the Lalbagh masjid and the committee members got it delivered in no time. I am really grateful to them, their prompt action saved my life,” Singh added. He has even written a letter of gratitude to Nomani and the entire masjid. 

To avail of oxygen aid from the masjids, beneficiaries need to present a copy of their Aadhaar card and medical documents. A security amount of Rs 10,000 is sought from those who can afford to pay it, but it is returned when the machines are handed back.

“Initially, we used our own money to buy oxygen cylinders, and refill them, and oxygen concentrators. Later, when people stepped up to help, we told them that we won’t take any donations in cash, they can instead donate O2 concentrators, cylinders, and PPE kits as per their capacity,” said Nomani.

Added Azhar, “This masjid received donations from people who visit here to perform namaaz and even bought two ambulances within this period.”

The two mosques work in coordination with each other, stepping in when the other is unable to help someone in need. 

For those in need

While the masjids’ assistance efforts began with arranging oxygen cylinders, they grew to cover a wide gamut. When the virus infected all members of a family, it was masjid volunteers who stood in lines to get oxygen cylinders refilled for them. They fixed oxygen concentrators at the homes of patients in isolation, helped with medicines, and fed those in need when their loved ones were too scared to. 

Mohammed Azhar of the Kapurthala Jama Masjid committee carries oxygen cylinders at Jama Masjid Kapurthala | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

“There have been cases where family members have not provided for those who tested positive. We have gone there in PPE suits, fixed the concentrators ourselves because no one from the family wants to help,” said Nomani, before recalling one such instance involving an elderly patient living with her daughter, son and daughter-in-law. 

“When we reached the house after receiving a call for a concentrator, the daughter, son and daughter-in-law refused to learn to fix the 02 concentrator. They didn’t want to enter the room (of the patient), so we went inside dressed in PPE suits,” Nomani added.

“We cleaned her room, fixed the concentrator, and fed her. The woman broke down. There are no words to express how tragic the situation was. No one had even given her a cup of tea.”

Maulana Tauheer of Jama Masjid, Kapurthala, said they had “helped around 180 people with our ambulances”. “Out of these, around 30 were those who needed assistance reaching kabristans and shamshan ghats.”

The volunteers at the masjids have been working round-the-clock since April to cater to patients who couldn’t find space in hospitals amid the second wave Covid surge.

There have been many sleepless nights for volunteers through April and mid-May, with phones of the masjids ringing continuously. Even though cases in the district have dipped now, both the mosques say they will continue to help those in need, free of cost.  

The daily Covid tally in Lucknow during the second wave peaked at over 6,000 in mid-April, with the positivity rate reaching as high as 30 per cent. The positivity rate has now declined to below 1 per cent, with 2,280 active cases in the district as of Tuesday. The district recorded all of 106 cases Saturday. 

(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)