'Memsaab' working over time against coronavirus in Gurdaspur

A Danish woman, fondly called a 'videshi bahu' or 'memsaab' in Gurdaspur in Punjab, has taken it upon herself to make the poor people in the district aware about the deadly virus menacing through the world and ways to keep it at bay.

Working among slum residents, Natasha Natalie Sommer is energetic and full of life and voluntarily assists the Punjab Red Cross Society in helping the underprivileged.

She said she was inspired by the work done by the Punjab unit of the Society after her husband, Malkit Singh, was successfully treated for drug addiction by it.

Sommer had fallen in love with Singh, from Sundal village, on a social networking site and came to India in January last year and solemnized marriage with him as per the Sikh tradition.

Singh then told her about his addiction and she took him to Siberia for treatment.

However on his return to Punjab, Singh again got into drug addiction, after which Sommer took him to the de-addiction centre of the Red Cross Society where he recovered.

Inspired by the Society's work, she started serving the weaker sections of the society.

And even during a pandemic, she is doing her bit in slums like Ram Nagar and Bhatha colony, keeping in mind the dreaded situation back home, though her country Denmark has tackled the coronavirus relatively better than the rest of Europe.

The Nordic country was among the first outside Asia to ease restrictions, in mid-April, and has not reported an increase in the rate of spread of the contagion.

From distribution of food packets, masks, sanitiser and other essential items to helping others prepare them, Sommer is contributing to the fight against the virus in all ways she can.

"We are serving in slum areas and spreading awareness. I know this pandemic is too hazardous as several people in Europe have been gripped by the disease. The situation is not good here too. We have to serve the poor to keep the pandemic under control," she said.

Romesh Mahajan, a well-known philanthropist in Gurdaspur, said people in the villages stand up to have a glimpse of the memsaab.

Though she hails from a well-to-do family, she is humble and always cheerful, Mahajan said.