Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Burqa-clad volunteer wins praise for helping labourers at night in Hyderabad

Hyderabad:

A Muslim social activist in Hyderabad has earned kudos all around by quickly responding to an SOS from a woman BJP leader to save a stranded girl in Hyderabad.

Khalida Parveen, who is among individuals in the forefront to help the poor, needy and migrant workers during the lockdown, was the first to respond to a message from Linda Newmai, a national executive member of BJP’s tribal wing to help a girl from Manipur stranded without food in Hyderabad.

Though Newmai had tagged the state chief minister, a union minister and other officials, it was Khalid Parveen, working along with a handful of volunteers, who rushed to help the unnamed girl.

Linda Newmai had issued an appeal through Twitter for help but avoided publicly sharing the girl’s contact details. On receiving a positive response from Khalid Parveen she provided her the details enabling the good Samaritan to reach her with ration and other essentials.

As praise poured in for Khalid Parveen, who moves around in a burqa in the dead of night to spot needy migrant workers and provide them with food and water, Newmai sent her a message of thanks. “Thank you once again Didi (sister) Parveen @Kparveen2005 for your kind help to the distressed girl from Manipur. She is very happy now”.

“This Hindu Muslim card is for politicians. We activists see everybody as a human,” was how Khalida Parveen responded to the messages of thanks, adding that she was also available to any needy person irrespective of community and caste. “This is the teaching of Islam”.

Khalida Parveen is known for social service, especially among women in distress in Hyderabad, and was working tirelessly ever since the lockdown was imposed about two months ago.

She has served meals and dry ration to thousands of people, arranged shelter and also distributed masks to migrant labourers on the city streets.

Every night she takes a few volunteers in an SUV along with stocks of essentials to the points frequented by migrant labourers and provides them with food and water.

She waits at different entry points of Hyderabad – like Aramghar square, Medchal and Mehdipatnam – ready to provide relief.

Apart from providing food and water she also talks to each of them, listens to their stories and counsels them.

As day break approaches, she oversees the preparation of Sehri or predawn meals before the start of the day long fasting during Ramadan. She has been serving the Sehri every day since the start of Ramadan.

Khichdi Khatta, a favourite simple breakfast of Hyderabad, was on Sunday’s menu for the needy.

A group of migrants from Odisha had taken shelter at her place in the old city of Hyderabad and stayed with her till a transport facility was arranged to take them back home.

“There was a pregnant woman carrying a big bag on her head among them,” she said while recalling her interaction with a group of migrants at Mehdipatnam going towards Secunderabad. “I tried to arrange transport for them. But they were scared and did not stop”.

Terming the suffering of millions of migrant labourers across the country “a human disaster”, Khalida Parveen said that this was the result of an unplanned lockdown.

source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> Asia> India / by Mohammad Siddique, Correspondent / May 18th, 2020