Laibi Oinam, the lady auto driver with a golden heart
- A heroine in the time of COVID-19 -

Ringo Pebam *

Laibi Oinam, the lady auto driver with a golden heart :: Photo : TSE & The Better India

The news report "Recovered Covid-19 girl takes auto back home" on the front page of The Sangai Express of 2nd June edition, made me, along with thousands of readers, feel sad to know what the girl from Skip village in Kamjong district had to undergo.

The State ambulance dropped her only till Dewlaland, which is a few kilometres away from JNIMS, giving the reason that they don't have authorisation to cross districts; while JNIMS, when inquired, told The Sangai Express correspondent that they did provide an ambulance to drop her home.

I don't know what exactly our government's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) says about transporting the recovered patients to their homes or about the restriction to ambulances from crossing districts. But, I wonder what if someone doesn't have the luxury of owning a car, or doesn't get public transportation to bring/ take back his/ her COVID-19 positive family member back home from JNIMS/ RIMS.

Amid the sad story of the girl from Kamjong, one thing that I feel good about was the lady auto driver who volunteered to take her home, when other auto drivers/ taxi drivers were not willing because of her being just recovered from COVID-19.

In today's (3rd June) Imphal Free Press (IFP), there's another report that gives more insight of the night of 1st June, of how the girl's father desperately tried to arranged a vehicle in Imphal to transport her daughter home in Kamjong, and how many vehicle owners were initially willing to travel but refused later on learning of the history of the passenger.

IFP report says that it was Eche Laibi Oinam, the lady auto driver, who warmly said, "I can take her in my auto if it is okay."

IFP reported that they left Imphal by 6 PM on 1st June and reached Kamjong by 2:30 AM on 2nd June, which is more than eight hours journey.

IFP also says that on returning to Imphal, Eche Laibi and her husband who accompanied her in the long journey to Kamjong are now kept in quarantine center as they travelled with the just recovered Kamjong girl.

It is also said that Little Drops of Ukhrul decided to give Rs 5,000 as a token of gratitude to Laibi and her husband, which is such a loving gesture.

The purpose of writing this write-up is to give a big kudos to Eche Laibi Oinam, the lady auto driver from Imphal.

Eche Laibi is no less than any other great frontline workers who are serving the human race during COVID-19 pandemic.

She is one of the heroines of our times.

Laibi Oinam, the lady auto driver with a golden heart :: Photo : TSE

From being the only woman commercial driver in Imphal as reported by The Hindu Business Line on 21st March 2020, to having done a brave and humane act of volunteering to help a girl who just got recovered from Covid-19, she has proved how good a human being she is, besides being a very hard working woman.

The Better India, in 2019, reported that Eche Laibi, who was driven by poverty to become Manipur's first woman autorickshaw driver, said "People once laughed at me, taunted and called me names. I felt humiliated. But I had little choice."

Today, the public cutting across communities and different regions of Manipur and the country have been applauding her in social media for her help to the Kamjong girl.

Susmit Bose, an Indian musician whose songs often deal with human rights, global peace and non-violence, and who had also sung songs of Irom Sharmila in the past, commented on Eche Laibi, "Power to Eche Laibi Oinam and to your conscience".

Heishnam Malemnganba Lokeshwar, singer-songwriter of the respected band Eastern Dark, commented "Utmost Salute", and the acclaimed Manipuri film director Romi Meitei wrote "Respect".

Ai Kamei Gaan De commented "Mahak yaam pukchel chaoba Ema ni, eisu Ema ge gari da tong jarure. Eina tongba numit tasu nupa ama hospital chat naba ni haina khongna chatlammi gari bara ge leitaba dage. Ema c na nupa du ou bada gari kham b duna free da nupa du chat dou ba mapham phao tong Han b khi. nungai yaiphaba punc nung sang ba oi sanu God bless u.."

Eche Laibi Oinam might not be awarded by Chief Minister of Manipur, like it was awarded to the doctors who helped recover the first COVID-19 positive patient of Manipur. But she has won the hearts of the people.

Salute to you Eche Laibi Oinam. God Bless. May your tribe increase.

REFERENCES:

1. https://ifp.co.in

2. https://www.thesangaiexpress.com/

3. https://www.thebetterindia.com

4. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com