Ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, we have been hearing stories of hope, struggle and survival.
One such story was reported by BBC. Rajesh Jayaseelan, an Indian, working as an Uber driver in London, recently lost his fight against the disease.
His wife, Mary, told BBC that Rajesh would work in London for most of the year so that he could save enough money to spend time with his family in India.
He’d been living in London on-and-off for 22 years, and would come back to India for a few months at a time. He loved London. He always used to talk to me about how beautiful London was, and so clean. I’ve never been to London, so he would describe it to me.
The nature of his job was such that he was more susceptible to the virus than others. The last time he went on his job was on 25th March. After that, he developed flu-like symptoms and was tested positive for coronavirus. He was asked to self-isolate at home.
What is heartbreaking is that he had to face discrimination by his landlord, who believed that Rajesh might bring coronavirus into the house.
In conversation with BBC, Rajesh’s wife recalled how he was thrown out of the house.
The landlord sent Rajesh out of the house for something, and when he came back the landlord had changed the locks, so he couldn’t get in.
With no home and no food, he was forced to spend several nights in his car. Later, he found another accommodation, but his condition worsened.
He hid himself from everyone around and the only interaction he had in the entire day was with his wife Mary and children living in Bangalore, some 5,000 miles away.
During every call, he would assure his wife that he’ll be fine, but during that last one, he told Mary that he was scared. On 11th April, when his condition deteriorated further, the hospital staff arranged a video call one last time and the 44-year-old succumbed to the disease, thereafter.
Rajesh and his wife were planning to build a home for themselves in India. He never wanted to settle in London. They had taken a loan on his last visit to India thinking that he would save enough money this time to pay it off.
Without Rajesh, his family in India is struggling to pay their bills. As per reports, his wife is trying to find work as a cleaner, but the lockdown is making it impossible. One of Rajesh’s close friends has started an online fundraiser to help his family. We hope they are able to bear this loss.
