Security guard Ramashankar Dubey says that with no visitors, his physical load has decreased, but he is constantly fielding questions and collecting and delivering parcels for building residents, who are holed in with two positive Covid-19 cases in the building
Dubey says that 12 hours of fielding calls and remaining alert is exhausting. Image: Ujjal Routh
Six years ago, 49-year-old Ramashankar Dubey travelled 1,200 kms from Satna to Mumbai in search of a job, leaving behind a family of seven—a wife, five daughters and a son.
Today ‘Dubeyji’, as he is popularly known, is an employee of Aawaz Security Services and is serving as a guard at a cooperative housing society in Powai, Mumbai, drawing a salary of Rs10,000. He remits Rs6,000 to his family through money order each month.
Owing to the pandemic, his routine has changed considerably, as the 14-storeyed building with 55 flats has close to no visitors—all the more so because two Covid-19 cases were reported in the building last week, causing a complete restriction of movement imposed by the BMC. Also, many flats lie vacant as several residents left for their hometowns as soon as the lockdown was eased.
Before the coronavirus took hold of our lives, Dubey was responsible for making an entry in his register of every visitor who entered the building (ranging from a domestic helper, plumber, electrician, to a courier delivery person). When the managing committee switched to using an app-based service to alert the residents every time a visitor arrived at Dubey’s desk, Dubey would diligently record every detail of the visitor, in addition to taking a photograph before sending out the alert to their mobile phones.