From a 59-year-old man who cycles over 6km every day to serve tea to policemen free of charge to an alternative therapist who joined others to serve cooked food to the needy, scores of volunteers are serving the people of Meghalaya during the Covid19-triggered lockdown, staying away from the limelight.

Since the Meghalaya government enforced lockdown in the state on March 17, Loknath Khannal, a milkman of Mawsmai village in Ri Bhoi district, has served over 3,200 cups of tea free of cost to the police personnel posted at the 12th Mile check-gate on the inter-state border with Assam. Loknath stays at a distance of over 1.5km from the checkpoint and he pedals to the checkpost twice a day.

“I have been serving tea to about 40 people posted at the checkpoint twice daily at 6am and again in the afternoon. In all I serve around 80 cups of tea in a day,” Loknath said.

The milkman, whose 28-year-old son Govind is a sepoy with the Assam Riffles and currently serving in Manipur, said he does it voluntarily and has never taken a rupee from those he served the beverage.

“I find joy and I hope that my son will also be taken care of, no matter from where he is serving the country,” he said.

There are many volunteers in Shillong who are serving food and hot beverages to the personnel battling Covid-19.

There are also others who are reaching out to the needy people of the state that so far reported 12 Covid-19 cases and one of them died. Senior high court lawyer Khalid Khan and his wife Ooma, an alternative therapist, have donated over Rs 1,000 to over 100 households each in East Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi districts.

Ooma also joined a team of fellow volunteers including teashop owner Kailash Verma, from a WhatsApp group AdventuRers, in serving lunch to poor people in and around Shillong and protective gears to health workers.

“Today we are providing 250 face shields to the NEIGRIHMS. My staff and AdventuRers made them here. We are making 200 more,” Verma said.

The Ramakrishna Mission has been distributing rice, daal and oil besides other food items to thousands of residents in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region. “We are reaching out to the poorest of the poor in these villages. Hundreds of people have benefited from the programme,” a senior RKM official said.

Padma Shri awardee Patricia Mukhim and local correspondents of news agencies and The Telegraph also joined hands in providing rice, daal and some cash to nearly 50 families in the Khasi Hills region.