In the vast, arid expanse of Rajasthan's Barmer district, a profound truth about humanity reveals itself not in grand declarations, but in quiet, relentless acts of empathy. This desert region, often perceived as barren and unforgiving, becomes a powerful crucible where the human spirit shines with extraordinary force, drawing individuals back to witness its radiant hope.
A Journey Into the Heart of Crisis
In June 2021, as India reeled under a devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a team drove for 12 hours to reach Barmer. The highways were desolate, with only two fruit sellers near Jalore breaking the eerie silence. Their destination was a landscape of collective grief, where they immersed themselves in efforts to provide relief—from makeshift ICUs and isolation centers to oxygen plants and villages facing food scarcity.
The author, Anurag Behar, CEO of the Azim Premji Foundation, recounts being questioned for undertaking such a journey, especially while on strong blood thinners. The incomprehension from others—"Why do you go to Barmer?"—highlighted the disconnect between common perception and the compelling pull of human solidarity found in this challenging terrain.
Darkness Illuminated by Selfless Action
The scale of the tragedy became horrifyingly clear back in Bhopal, where funeral pyres raged end-to-end, their flames leaping over boundary walls. With loved ones absent, PPE-clad workers and volunteers tended to the rows of bodies under a blazing sun. This scene mirrored the desperate struggles in rural areas, prompting further missions.
One such mission involved a 16-hour drive from Bhopal through Sagar and Damoh, ultimately reaching the remote settlement of Hata. Here, the team heard harrowing accounts of breath diminishing to gasps and death, in a place with no oxygen, no doctors, and only the "mercy of God" for the infected. They spent just 10 minutes listening to villagers, a brief encounter that justified the arduous journey, culminating in a return to Bhopal by 1 AM.
Barmer: A Tapestry of Human Spirit
Barmer itself offered indelible portraits of resilience and compassion. A 26-year-old teacher cycles 13 kilometers daily to school, teaches three subjects to 48 children across five classes, and also cooks for them. His philosophy: "Mushkilen ginaanen se kum nahin ho jaati" (difficulties do not reduce by recounting them).
In another instance, two elderly women sprinted down a 100-meter sand dune to help the author after a fall. In the searing 48° Celsius heat, a 14-year-old girl ran 200 meters barefoot across burning sand to pump water for 15 minutes for a herd of unknown goats that had wandered into her school. Her teacher summed up a core ethos: "Ganit nahin padhaa sakte, lekin achcha insaan toh banaa sakte hain" (I can't teach math but can help them develop into good human beings).
The Lasting Luminescence of Humanity
The pandemic brutally exposed the unrelenting realities of poverty, neglect, and exploitation. Yet, as the author witnessed from Hata to Barmer, it is in this profound darkness that humanity's light burns brightest. Countless individuals, with no command or obligation, stepped into the line of fire to provide succor to complete strangers, bound only by elemental humanity.
These acts are not confined to cataclysmic events like Covid. They represent a daily battle fought by unsung heroes, each small act fated to remain largely invisible. Yet, in the long arc of history, the cumulative force of these human acts of courage and empathy is the most consequential force of all.
Barmer and Hata stand as luminescent metaphors. Where the terrain is hard, the heat scorching, poverty wrenching, and water absent, all that remains is the indomitable human spirit. It is a spirit that fills every breach, tends every heart, and forges community. It is a place that, once visited, you do not leave willingly, and when you do, you carry with you a restored faith in humanity. As someone close to the author advised, prompting this dispatch from the desert itself: "Go, because it nourishes your soul." Finding one's own Barmer can indeed make life radiant.
