Doaba coronavirus diaries — Tough if in Italy, or from there

Aparna Banerji in Jalandhar

ASHwani Arora, a restaurateur at Trento in Trentino Alto Adige region in Italy, came to visit his family in India last month, but has been unable to go back amidst the Covid-19 scare. The Jalandhar native quietly assesses the losses to his pizzeria, closed until March 23. Stuck in Italy and yearning to be with his newly-wedded wife is Varinder Deep Singh, a Bhangra instructor and driver based in Padua. He has had to shelve all travel plans. Then there’s the case of Charanjit Kumar, a factory worker at Gottolengo village in Brescia (Lombardy). With Italy in a lockdown, he has been unable to visit his sister who lives barely 20 minutes away (even with the self-declaration form the government gave him).

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Of the over two lakh Indians living in Italy, majority are Punjabis and from Doaba. The shutdown in the European country worst hit by the coronavirus has had a huge impact on the Punjabi diaspora.

Businesses, factories and farms have been hit hard, especially in Lombardy region, which boasts of a sizeable Indian workforce. Some factories have also started laying off contractual workers, many of whom are Indians.

In Italy, the “Dichiara Sotto La Propria Responsabilita” (meaning — undersigned declares his/her own responsibility) form has become a ticket for stepping out of home. Residents must carry it while going out for work, shopping or emergencies to state the purpose for stepping out of home. Failure to produce a proper motive will result in three months’ jail or a fine of 250 Euros.

Losses worth lakhs

Ashwani Arora, who owns a pizzeria, says, “Until last Saturday, restaurants were open till 6 pm. Recent guidelines say they are closed till March 23. I will have no earnings but will still have to pay the rent and the staff. My partner’s there but since business is closed, we have cancelled our trip back.” Ashwani’s children were among the earliest suspects of coronavirus in Jalandhar, later testing negative.

Malkiat Singh from Lahori Gate area in Kapurthala, who works as a grocer in Italy, was due to leave on March 28 but has postponed his flight. “The businesses are all closed. I have already incurred huge losses. With decreased income and closing of shops, going back at present doesn’t seem like a risk worth taking.”

Varinder Deep Singh’s bhangra classes in Italy shut down weeks ago. “My troupe was supposed to perform at the Venice Carnival, but for the first time, the event got cancelled. My trip back to India to meet my wife (they got married in January) has also been postponed indefinitely. I get calls from my family daily, but even if I manage a ticket, the risk of getting infected myself and then passing it on is too big a price to pay. It seems, things are only getting worse. Only one person from a house can go out at a time and too after stating the purpose.”

Family meets stalled

Charanjit Kumar, a factory worker at Gottolengo (Brescia) and originally from Banga (Nawanshahr), says, “It’s a near curfew here in Italy. We can’t step out without permission and must carry the letter with us at all times. It has our names, numbers, purpose of visit. My sister lives 20 minutes away but I can’t visit her. I had applied for a Canadian visa but can’t go to Rome for the appointment — the visit would be a health risk. Big factories like ours are still functional, but social life has come to a standstill.”

Karamjit Singh, a factory worker at Latina who is visiting his family in Phagwara, faces uncertainty regarding his trip back. “I had to go back on March 26. But the flight might be cancelled. I will have to return because my work and papers are all there. If I don’t go back, I’ll risk losing work.”

Ravi, a farm worker at Emilio Romagna, hasn’t sent his kids to school for weeks now. He says, “An outsider needs a motive to come here and an insider to go out. Without it, one might as well prepare for three months in jail. My family is here but it’s hard for those not living together and especially those facing shutdown of business.”

Gurmail Singh, also a resident of Jalandhar, had a flight back home booked for March-end. However, since the mandatory blood test (on the basis of which he can produce a corona negative report) upon arrival in India would take 14 days to arrive, he too cancelled his plan.

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