Masihuzzama Ansari | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, MAY 29— After the lockdown, when the country was facing Coronavirus and politicians were blaming religion and faith for the pandemic, a Muslim woman, away from Hindu-Muslim, temple-mosque TV debates, was carrying a spray machine on her back and sanitizing streets, temples and mosques and thus silently playing her role in the war against Coronavirus.
A picture and video of the protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Ghanta Ghar in Lucknow had gone viral on social media earlier this year – a woman in Hijab holding her kid in her lap was loudly raising slogans on mike. When the protest ended and the lockdown began in end-March, the same woman was seen carrying a spray machine one her back and sanitizing temples, mosques and 35 localities, and her pictures again became viral on social media. She is Lucknow resident Uzma.
Resident of Saadatganj in old Lucknow, Uzma has made struggle the mission of her life and her religious identity her strength. She has made her courage her ideal and struggle her way.
Talking to India Tomorrow, Uzma says she wants to make the country better, fight against evils, injustice and all types of epidemics so that the new generations could breathe in the air of love and peace.
Sanitizing Temples and Streets:
Uzma says: “Doctors, police and all others are engaged in the fight against Coronavirus across the country. I also thought to do my bit in this fight against the pandemic and began sanitization work in areas where employees of municipal corporation are not able to reach.”
Uzma doing sanitization work in Lucknow
Talking to India Tomorrow, Uzma further said: “I have a passion in my heart to do something for the country and I do whatever I can. Service to the nation begins from your home and neighbourhood, that is why I began my contribution in the fight against Coronavirus by sanitizing the lanes near my house and so far I have sanitized 35 lanes.”
Carrying Sanitization Work with Her Own Money:
During the continuous lockdown, Uzma is spending her own money on sanitizing the localities of her neighbourhood. When asked why she is using her own savings for this work, she said: “I had saved the money for the future of my children but this Coronavirus epidemic is taking away lives of our dear ones in the present. The municipal corporation is doing its efforts but wherever the civic body is unable to reach, I am doing sanitization work to save people from Coronavirus.”
Pictures and videos of Uzma sanitizing streets and localities of Lucknow have been viral on social media for the past couple of weeks. In the visuals, she can be seen sanitizing temples, shops and narrow lanes.
Uzma Was Active in Anti-CAA Protest:
This is not the first time that Uzma is in news and her work is being appreciated. Earlie, during the anti-CAA protest at Ghanta Ghar in Lucknow, a video of her raising slogans had gone viral on social media.
In that viral video, Uzma was holding her child with one hand and mike in the other and was raising slogans and inspiring the women audience there to continue the protest.
Lucknow Municipal Corporation honord Uzma for her exemplary sanitization work
Talking to India Tomorrow, a young lawyer from Lucknow Sajid Khan said: “Uzma was among the women who were leading the anti-CAA protest at Lucknow’s Ghanta Ghar and gave a new dimension to the anti-CAA movement. A video of her holding her child in the lap and raising slogan had motivated women across the country.”
He further said: “When her anti-CAA video went viral, police had gone to shut down the Ghana Ghar protest and misbehaved with women protesters – Uzma was one of them and her video had gone viral. But forgetting all this, the same woman has again got engaged in the service of the nation, which is indeed surprising.”
Several images have emerged from across the country during the lockdown which are enough to change the way we look at the government and society.
Muslim youths like Uzma and students played active role in the anti-CAA movement and when the lockdown was imposed they got engaged in distributing ration and food among the needy people and laborers across the country. Uzma and hundreds of youths like her have done what the government should have. Yet, during the lockdown, the Delhi Police continued arresting those students and youths who were doing relief work and serving the humanity.
Away from TV debates on Hindu-Muslim and temple-mosque issues, the youths of the country are striving to make a beautiful India. The government should also fix its role in this endeavour.