The entire nation is under a three week lock down, in an attempt to tame the corona virus pandemic. Though the people are struggling in many ways, the youth organizations of various political parties are actively working to make sure than everyone gets help including food and clean drinking water. Meanwhile, the ‘On call’ campaign initiated by the Youth Congress is grabbing attention. In this program, celebrities and other respected personalities would speak to those who are undergoing treatment for Covid 19, their care takers at the hospital and those who are home quarantine, over the phone to boost their morale.
Actor Nivin Pauly was the first celebrity to come on call as part of the unique campaign. He spoke to those who are undergoing treatment at the various hospitals Kasaragod and the health officials as well. A class ten student, who tested positive for Covid 19, was excited to speak to her favorite actor. Lady super star Manju Warrier would be joining ‘On Call’ today.
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Nivin Pauly had first called Dr. Ganesh at the government hospital in Kasaragod district, where the most number Covid 19 positive cases have been reported in the state. Ganesh spoke as the representative of thousands of frontline health workers, who stays away from their families and dear ones, to fight against the corona virus pandemic. The doctor said that they are suffering such hardships to save the society from the disease. He requested Nivin Pauly to appeal to the public to be alert while staying indoors and also to strictly obey the instructions of the health workers. When Nivin thanked the doctor, calling the health workers the real warriors who protect the society, Dr. Ganesh said they were working as a team and everyone deserved credit. The actor expressed his gratitude to all the doctors who have been working hard from day one onwards to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
Nivin’s second call was to Divya, a nurse who works at the same hospital. However, Divya couldn’t initially believe it was her favorite actor on the other side of the call. When she realized it indeed was Nivin Pauly, she wondered why he was calling her when there are millions of nurses in the state. But she started talking about her work and how she copes with the current situation, once she was out of the initial shock. Divya didn’t forget to put her phone on the speaker mode so that her colleagues too could hear her favorite actor’s words. Nivin thanked all of them saying that he is indebted to them for their impeccable service to the society, that too by putting their lives in risk. “The people of this state pay our respects to you for the incredible and adventurous services that your family member does for the society during this hour of crises,” Nivin Pauly ended the conversation extending his heartfelt gratitude to the families of the frontline health workers.
The actor then called the youngest Covid 19 positive patient in Kasaragod district who studies in class 10. The girl, who admires Nivin’s iconic character George from the blockbuster movie Premam, was thrilled to hear the actor’s voice on the phone. She was excited to tell her friends about this special call. Nivin enquired about her health and how she was coping with the situation. Before hanging up, the actor also promised to meet her personally after she has recovered completely.
Nivin made calls to one of the three Covid 19 patients from a family in Kasaragod, a Vandoor native who is undergoing treatment at Thiruvananthapuram and also to a female nurse who is in home quarantine in Pathanamthitta after returning from her work place in Saudi Arabia.
While speaking to Dhanesh, who contacted the diseases in Italy, Nivin enquired about the reasons why the corona virus has spread at alarming proportions in Italy. A higher secondary school teacher, who is self quarantined in the out - house of his home, had been to Dubai following the instructions of the government. Nivin’s call was a great relief for him. Meanwhile, Nivin assured the person quarantined at his house in Kottopadam in Palakkad that he was not alone. Diya, a doctor at the PHU had to talk about those who violate the quarantine instructions and roam around. She told Nivin that celebrities like him should remind the public about the significance of social distancing to tackle the spread.
Nivin’s final call was to Soju Joshua, a film maker from Pathanamthitta. Soju is under home quarantine after he returned from Oman where he had gone to prepare for the first movie that he will direct. While the duo were talking about movies, Youth Congress state president Shafi Parambil also intervened to wish that a movie in which Soju and Nivin could join hands would materialize soon.