Unseen Warriors of COVID: For Van Gujjars in Shivalik Hills, access to vaccines remains a distant reality

Editor’s note: As the second wave of coronavirus infections ravages parts of India, millions of front-line workers and citizens are caught up in the middle, providing their services to distressed families on one hand while trying to cope themselves on the other. This is the fifteenth and final part of a  series  profiling the stories of these people. In many ways, 65-year-old Abdul Rahman is the leader of the Van Gujjars. Experienced and measured, Rahman says he is looking forward to his people being vaccinated. “The Van Gujjar community will also step forward and support the initiative,” Rahman added. “No member of the community has any apprehensions about a vaccine that can put an end to the pandemic. Van Gujjars have been less affected by the pandemic; we are not like the rest of the population, but we will nevertheless get the vaccine and cooperate with the government.” He, however, added that authorities should keep in mind some compulsions of the community. “The women of our community generally stay in the forest. They haven’t visited urban cities where general population resides. Many elders stay in the higher regions of the hills. The government might have to undertake some special efforts to reach them and go into the forests to make it happen. We will help the forest department and the doctors in this regard,” Rahman added. [caption id=“attachment_9720371” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Gujjar leader Abdul Rahman said the government might have to undertake special efforts to reach women and elders in the community. Image procured by author.[/caption] Thousands of Van Gujjar youths who live on the Uttarakhand-Uttar Pradesh border of the Shivalik Hills have now migrated to the higher altitudes through forest routes, and only women and elderly remain in the settlements. Rahman said that while vaccinations are acceptable to the community, this process will require extra effort considering their past experiences with vaccinations of children. According to him, there has been no death connected to fever in Mohand area (the forest area contiguous with the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border), but many had symptoms, and while a majority of these chose to get treated by consuming traditional indigenous medicine, others were treated by the village doctor. The community nestled in the Shivalik Hills is afflicted with extreme levels of backwardness. The population is mostly illiterate. Some students have started attending a school developed particularly for Van Gujjars, located towards the north of the road (in a region known as Pathri) in the Uttarakhand area. However, there have been no classes this past year. The traditional occupation of the community is to sell milk, but their travel from village to village to sell the product has been curtailed by the pandemic. [caption id=“attachment_9720381” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Jahoor Ahmad said the Van Gujjars have been affected more by the lockdown than the pandemic. Image procured by author[/caption] They have also not been able to acquire ration due to the lockdowns, or cattle feed for their animals. Jahoor Ahmed (70), another elderly member of the community living on Dehradun Road said – “The reality is that the disease has not affected us as much as the lockdown has. Look at our settlements. They are spread far apart. Some are even separated by one kilometer. We live far away from crowded areas. This is what has been advised by doctors – maintain social distance! We know this is a pandemic, but physically we are very strong. We are a hard-working community, but we have struggled due to lack of food. The lockdown has troubled us much more than the disease. Some Gujjars got fever, but they recovered with use of herbs from the forest. No one really knows about vaccines here, but there is talk about ‘corona injection’. We are ready to get that, there is no issue, it is good only. The government is helping us, but we have only appeal – to send vaccination teams to the forest areas.” Van Gujjars are not in doubt about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. In another hut, Basheer (42) said that it would be good if the government were to send doctors to the forests in order to vaccinate the residents. In the last year, children have not been able to get their usual vaccinations. He doesn’t know the name of any of the vaccines but has heard that they have no major side effects and that getting inoculated is a necessary step. Basheer said that they are passing through a very difficult period. [caption id=“attachment_9720501” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Fareeda Anjum has ensured her father is vaccinated and says she uses him as an example for the community. Image procured by author[/caption] Their animals have suffered due to the lack of fodder and cattle feed. This has weakened them and many have stopped giving milk. He said he prays that this pandemic is wiped off the face of the Earth. Local social activist Devendra Dhiman said all Van Gujjars want to get vaccinated but there are some difficult ground realities that need to be overcome together by the government and the Van Gujjars. One of the issues is that the Van Gujjars are unable to register online for vaccines. Of a dozen-odd settlements, just one Gujjar family has a smartphone. They use this phone just for entertainment as there is no internet network. They have no idea about the vaccine registration process. Apart from their desire to get the vaccinated, they know little about the process of getting it. Devendra ‘Dimple’ echoed what Rahman said: That there are many Gujjar women who have never left the forest area. Many Gujjars feel uncomfortable or out of place among urban people. Many of them have left for higher places and it would be difficult to call them back now. Connectivity is a major issue here. Only BSNL functions here; that too partially. [caption id=“attachment_9720521” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Dr Anuraj Tyagi has vowed to make the vaccination of Gujjars a reality. Image procured by author[/caption] Political parties and their representatives make an appearance to ask for votes but are not being spotted now. The Chief Medical Office of the PHC in Biharigarh, Saharanpur, Dr Anuraj Tyagi said he and his team will take on all odds to make the vaccination of Gujjars a reality.  “We are making a mobile team based on the model of the children’s vaccine mission, ‘Indradhanush’. We are making easily-accessible places like Sundarnagar, Khushhalipur and three other similar places as centres for this. A team comprised of ASHA and ANM (Auxillary Nursing and Midwifery) workers has been put together. The need for mandatory registration is limited to the 18-44 age group; for now we are trying to ensure that all Van Gujjars above this age cut off will be vaccinated. In case of any difficulty faced by this team in entering the settlements, we will also rope in the forest department workers." Fareeda Anjum, one of the few educated Van Gujjars, has been responsible for spreading awareness among the community. She said the community knows nothing about the vaccines. They think of it similar to their experience of the polio vaccine, which does not usually result in fever. Fareeda has ensured that her father is vaccinated. She took him to the hospital and got it done. But others are not going to the hospital due to the lack of awareness and courage. She thinks that her father is perhaps the first of the Van Gujjars to get a vaccine and she holds him up as an example for rest of the community. She believes that the best way to ensure complete vaccination of the community is to approach them directly. [caption id=“attachment_9720491” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Forest officer Manoj Kunar said authorities are in touch with the Van Gujjar community and will be assisting the health department’s mobile team. Image procured by author[/caption] Manoj Kumar Balodi, the Forest Officer of Biharigarh, is a crucial part of the vaccination program. “We are in direct contact with the Van Gujjar community and we will help the mobile team of the health department. They [the mobile team] can get lost in the forests and we will take them to the settlements. We have played a similar role in the previous vaccination programmes. The good thing is that the community knows the value of the vaccination programme,” he said. Translated by Shayma S and Sadat Hussain