How Sonu Sood, Ratan Tata and other celebrities lead by example in pandemic support

Amid the most testing and turbulent times of the pandemic, many celebrities came forward to show their generous support for those who were severely impacted. Migrant workers, daily wage labourers and destitute people were left to fend for themselves when the country went into an overnight lockdown. While a majority of the population rushed to stock their shelves with essentials and more, the poorer sections of the society did not have even the most basic of goods - food, water, masks, sanitisers and other essentials like rations.

This is where non-profit organisations, corporates and good samaritans made a huge difference with their support. Celebrities like Swara Bhaskar, Sonu Sood, Vikas Khanna and even octogenarian Ratan Tata led the way with their acts of kindness.

SocialStory reminisces how these popular celebs went out of their way to lend their support.

Sonu Sood

Actor, humanitarian, hero – these three words perfectly describe reel-life villain, Sonu Sood. Since the onset of coronavirus, the Bollywood actor turned real-life hero has constantly been on his toes to help those most affected by the pandemic.

During the initial days of the lockdown, Sood came forward to make life easier for the disadvantaged by providing regular meals. His efforts to provide jobs to migrants via Pravaasi Rojgar made the actor a messiah of sorts for the migrants.

That’s not all, Sood also helped economically impoverished children by enabling them to continue their education even in the digital way by providing phones and tablets. He also helped those Indian students stuck abroad to return home.

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Vikas Khanna

Michelin Star celebrity chef Vikas Khanna turned a hero to many communities displaced by the pandemic. Through his Feed India movement, he distributed both hot meals and dry rations to the underserved people In India, that too, while he was far away in New York.

By early June 2020, his team had distributed over 10 million meals in at least 125 cities and towns across India, in just a span of two months. Adding to this, they also distributed thousands of hygiene kits, sanitary napkins, masks, and slippers to underprivileged families.

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Swara Bhasker

Despite her busy schedule with the shooting of Rashbari, actress Swara Bhasker took to the streets to help migrant workers get back to their hometowns. Inspired by Sonu Sood, she started an initiative to organise transportation for the distressed migrants and also provide them with basic necessities like footwear to make their journey hassle-free. 

With the help of her team, as well as the Delhi government, the actor also gathered necessary data to identify people who were struggling to go back home. Immediately after, she managed to arrange one-way train and bus tickets for all of them. She also collaborated with Relaxo, Action Shoes, and other local shoe traders to collect footwear to distribute them to the daily wage earners.

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Shah Rukh Khan

Bollywood’s Badshah Shah Rukh Khan donated about 2,000 PPE kits to health workers in Chhattisgarh and about 20,000 N-95 masks in Kerala later in the year.

His NGO Meer Foundation also came to the rescue of a toddler who was trying to wake his dead mother. Placing the little one in his grandfather’s care, the foundation has promised help in his upbringing.

Apart from this, the NGO has been working with other organisations, including Ek Saath, Roti Foundation, and Working People’s Charter, to help daily wage earners and the urban poor cope during the pandemic. The Foundation also provided a monthly stipend to 100 acid attack survivors across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttarakhand while taking care of their basic needs during the lockdown.

Ratan Tata

While his organisation’s CSR arm, Tata Trust, supports a whole range of causes, Ratan Tata does his bit in his signature unassuming style. Despite his age, the veteran industrialist travelled to Pune for a few hours to visit a former employee who has been ailing for the past two years.

Last year, Tata Trusts pledged Rs 5 billion towards COVID-19 relief activities, focussing particularly on the health ecosystem in the country.