“(I am scared of the virus, but my stomach cannot afford to be scared. Whatever has to happen, will happen. We cannot work from home. We have to come here and work.)”
Sangeeta is a 48-year-old woman who sells dhaniya (coriander) right outside the largest vegetable market in Mumbai’s bustling neighbourhood of Dadar. She stays in Mankhurd, more than 15 km away from where she sells her produce, and travels in the crowded Mumbai local to reach her workplace every morning.
United diagnosticss
Sangeeta is one of the many millions in India who do not have the option of working from home, for whom social distancing is not a choice within their means.
“Agar ek dinesab band rahe, chalo ek din aaraam kar liye, chhuti kar liye. Par agar 4-5 din band hai, toh ghar nahi chal payega. Kharcha paani kaha se aayega?” (If there’s a shutdown for one day, I can understand. I’ll rest for that one day, think of it as a holiday. But if there’s no work for four to five days, then I will not be able to run my household or make ends meet. Where will the money for expenses come from?)
