KOLKATA: Covid-19 had pushed him to the wall. But 53-year-old Nitaidas Mukherjee refused to give up. Better known as Kolkata’s rescue man, Mukherjee is now back in action despite the post-Covid health issues that continue to bother him. His associates say he has helped rescue about 500 destitute people from the streets of Kolkata after his recovery.
Often seen driving an ambulance around the city to rescue the ailing and the distressed, Mukherjee could be spotted during any disaster — be it fire or flood — helping the cops. But Covid-19 threatened to halt his mission when the virus pushed the Tollygunge resident to the ICU during the first wave.
In fact, one of the first frontline workers to get infected, Mukherjee was helping cops to deliver relief material during the lockdown. He was admitted to AMRI in March 2020. With comorbid conditions, including diabetes, he fought the virus for 44 days, including 38 days on ECMO support, before he was sent home in a wheelchair.
“I had assisted thousands of people in wheelchairs and now I myself was in a wheelchair. This experience made me empathise all the more with people who are wheelchair-dependent. So everything has a positive aspect to it,” said Mukherjee.
Even in the wheelchair, he would coordinate with volunteers of his NGO HIVE India and offer suggestions to other organisations. “The most painful and frustrating days I suffered were during Amphan. Even as my boys were out to help people, I was still unable to move. And it was like someone had tied me down to the bed,” said said.
Slowly, with physiotherapy and other medications, he had started walking. One early morning, he slipped out of home quietly to see if he could drive the ambulance again. And there has been no looking back since then. “The support of the likes of Emami Group, Kolkata Police, Hope Foundation, the West Bengal health department and encouragement from many, including my wife Aparajita and my volunteers, have helped me come around,” he said.
Even as he still faces mobility challenges and nerve issues as post-Covid complications, he is back on the streets to do what he loves the most – feeding the poor, giving medicine to the ailing, arranging for shelter with the help of Kolkata Police and the health department.
“After working in this field for three decades I don’t think I represent any organisation. God has given me the kind of experience and exposure and I will go on sharing this platform with any organisation or individuals who come up to help solving problems of people in distress,” Mukherjee told TOI.
