Visakhapatnam: Parents pray for safety, wellbeing of youngsters in US

Visakhapatnam: From the days where many aspire to pursue their higher studies in the US or settle in a well-paid job or get married to an NRI, there is a sea change now.

In the wake of Covid-19 strike, the kin back home in India want them to return safe. Given the current situation in the US where novel coronavirus continues to claim thousands and infect lakhs of people, parents in Visakhapatnam keep their fingers crossed and want their children to come back when the situation brightens as they seem to be a panicked lot.

Those who left Visakhapatnam to settle in the US for varied reasons feel all the more insecure. At the same time, parents who lead a lonely life in the port city feel all the more worried about the safety of their loved ones. All they need now is to see them in their respective hometowns even if it is at the cost of their jobs.

The entire conversation during their voice and video calls revolves around 'do take good care of yourself, stay home and stay safe.'

Though some of the organisations in the US have rolled out work from home concept in the age of corona, many have also lost their jobs since they could not make it to the office as some companies continue to remain open. Parents in India urge their wards not to work and lay emphasis on staying safe even if it costs their job.

With this, many Indians (employees and students) in the US accord priority to work from home. When it comes to students, a number of universities engage their pupils through online classes as they find the platform much safer. "We are constantly in touch with one another. I made it clear to my daughter K Swetha, pursuing MS in Washington DC, not to step out of the house until the situation bounces back to normalcy. She responded saying that the university has already commenced online classes," says K V Ramana father of K Swetha, heaving a sigh of relief.

A California-based employee working in the FaceBook M Kishan told The Hans India that even when the severity of the pandemic was less intense, the company made its employees work from home. "Moreover, all the essential commodities are ordered online, and we are considering all the measures to guard ourselves from getting infected. As long as we are at home, there is no problem in maintaining our job as well as our health," he reasons. Further, Kishan added that his brother Mohan works in Microsoft at Seattle. However, he is in a safe zone following all the precautionary measures. Meanwhile, Telugu Association of North America (TANA) executive vice-president Lavu Anjayya Chowdhary says, "Telugu people in various parts of the US are safe. Regular awareness programmes on Covid-19, supply of masks and sanitisers to them followed by strict adherence to self-isolation are being taken care by the associations."