Coronavirus pandemic | Helpless and harried, Indians stranded across the globe call out for help

Representative image

It was supposed to be a trip that would provide Ramesh Warrier* a welcome break from his worries. He had a lot to worry about. A loan of over Rs 3 crore that he was struggling to repay, and a  business that was just not taking off.

It was in February that Warrier had accompanied his mother to the US to visit his sister who was soon going to be a mother. No, he didn't have enough money to pay for the trip, it was his sister's gift.

But now he wished he hadn't gone to the US. Warrier and his mother are now stuck, at least till June, as flights to India have been suspended because of the lockdown.

And even beyond that it is still not clear if the government will allow flights to resume. Air India, the only Indian carrier to operate flights from the US, is accepting bookings only from June 1.

Back home in Chennai, things have gotten worse.

"I needed to be in Chennai by mid-March to negotiate with my clients. It's impossible to do so sitting here in the US," says Warrier. "My wife has been forced to disconnect the phones at home, to avoid banks who call up everyday about the loan, " he adds.

Lost business and constant calls from banks has forced Warrier to file for bankruptcy, sitting in the US. If that was not enough, Warrier was down with fever in early March. While he did a test to check for COVID-19 infection, the hospital is yet to share the result.

The financial, emotional and physical toll has laid Warrier low.

"Why can't the Indian government arrange a flight for us?" he asks in despair.

It is a question that gets repeated by Indians stranded across the world. Estimates put the number at 50,0000, including mariners and crew of cruise ships stuck in seas.

Moneycontrol spoke to scores of them, including those in Singapore, Riyadh, Florida, London and Zurich. Some had gone to visit relatives, others had traveled on work. Many are students, sitting idle with no classes to attend, but emotionally distressed as they are away from family.

Track this blog for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak

Nearly each of them has written to the local Indian embassy or counsulate.  Arun Krishnan, stuck in Riyadh since February, also wrote to the President of India, Ministry of External Affairs, Minister of Civil Aviation, and members of Parliament.

Two Parliamentarians - Karti Chidambaram and Manish Tewari - wrote back promising support.

"The ministries asked us to be in touch with the local consulate. But the consulate  keeps giving us the stock reply. We have to wait till the lockdown is lifted," says Krishnan.

An employee with a consulting firm, Krishnan was on a project in Riyadh and was traveling home in Hyderabad, every second weekend. But since    the end of February, he hasn't been able to.

"Am fortunate that my company is paying for my accommodation, and I have the essentials. But there are many Indians here, who are in a pretty bad state," Krishnan tells Moneycontrol  over a Zoom call.

He has created a WhatsApp group that includes over 100 other Indians who are stuck in different parts of Saudi Arabia. As of April 22, COVID-19 had claimed lives of 11 Indians in the country.

Some of the messages shared by Indians in the WhatsApp group are heart rendering. One of the members talks about his father, who had come visiting for a couple of months. A heart patient, his stock of medicines has run out, and these are unavailable in local pharmacies.

Another works in a poultry farm. But with no masks, gloves or sanitiser, the Indian fears that he may get the infection. One blue collar worker sounds desperate, saying he doesn't have his job and is running out of money. There are many who were in Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage, but are helpless and unable to get back home.

Krishnan shares link of a news report by agency AP, highlighting that while Phillipines and Pakistan have arranged flights to evacuate their citizens, "India has no plan yet to evacuate its nationals from Gulf Arab countries".

"Why no government help?"

It's something that confounds the stranded Indians, and their relatives.

"Air India had earlier flown down Indians from China and Iran. And there are flights that countries are operating to get back their citizens stuck in India," points out Debashish Biswas, a parent whose daughter studies in Singapore.

"Why can't the Indian government relax the suspension for similar rescue flights?" he asks.

He and his wife call their daughter, an undergraduate student in Singapore, 20 times a day to lift her spirits. "There are online classes, but she can attend those from here in India. Sitting idle and with very little to do, she is emotionally distressed," he says.

Some of the state governments, including that of Kerala, have been working through local associations to reach out to stranded citizens. Though the Kerala government had talked about evacuating Malayalees grounded in the Middle-East, it can't do so until the lockdown is lifted.

An uncertain future

The wait, and the increasing uncertainty on how long that could be, is eating into the minds of these Indians.

"There are times when I realise the day and time only when others mention," says S Ram*, an engineer who was on a three-month project in the UK. He was supposed to get back for  a short break in mid-April, when his wife was due for delivery.

His daughter was born on April 9. "I want to be with them, meet my wife, see my daughter... It's really tough. I feel guilty that I left my family during these tough times," rues Ram, who is staying in the outskirts of London.

M Sharma* is equally worried. His father is in Zurich, and was to land in Bengaluru on March 9. "He is unwell, and hospitals near the house have turned into COVID-19 centres.  We fear that he may get an infection if admitted in the hospital...we are just holding on till the time we can," says Sharma.

Miles away, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in Florida, Sathish* is struggling to come to terms with the situation he finds himself in.

A senior executive in a software company that services clients in the health care sector, Sathish had landed in Florida in February on work. "Within two days of landing, there was a shutdown. The hotel was emptied out. It was just me, an old gentleman and two receptionists," says Sathish over a WhatsApp call. The hotel has 60 rooms.

With the hotel not allowed to serve food, and hiring a cab too much of a risk, Sathish was forced to walk over 10 kms every time he stepped out to buy food and water. "The good thing was I lost 5 kg!" he exclaims.

But that was little respite for what was to come. The hotel opened its doors to healthcare workers, and Sathish now feared of getting the virus. "I called up my cousin, who lived three hours drive away. I didn't want to put them at risk, but I had no other go but to call him," says Sathish.

At his cousin's house, Sathish quarantined himself for 14 days. Food would be kept at the door, and whenever he would step out, the cousin and his family would move to another room. The isolation is over now.

Sathish was to fly back to Bengaluru on April 20.

"I feel bad that my family has to fend by themselves. My father is nearing 70, and has to take care of my grandfather who is 102....am used to traveling often. But this is the longest I haven't seen my daughter," says Sathish, his voice trailing off.

*Names changed

With inputs from Swathi Moorthy & M Saraswathy

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak here