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We gave shelter to about 30 migrant workers, though at different time slots. Since they were all daily wage earners, they offered to work and earn. When here, they manifested their human dignity and, consequently, the dignity of labour; among them were two masons and a few painters, excellent craftsmen. We gave them some supplies but they cooked their own food, and were most willing to do gratis odd jobs on the campus. Whenever they were given an anxious call by loved ones from home, they soothed them by proudly declaring that they were in St. Xavier’s Engineering College in Mahim, and were perfectly safe and sound, far from any coronavirus. When the special trains were started to take migrant workers to their homes, we used legitimate influence to get them the proper tickets, and by the first week of June, they were on their journeys to be back in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh or Chhattisgarh or Odisha.
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We also put up 30 policemen who were not from the city precincts but had come to South Bombay on a deputation. Every day they would police the areas assigned to them, and they were all very appreciative that they could come back to comfortable quarters after a hard day’s labour. They stayed at XIE a little over a month.
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Poor stranded individuals and families do not have access to computers and the internet; wherever and whenever possible we gave that access, like when it was required for them to obtain e-passes.
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Having the facilities and expertise for online services, we reached out to Christian families who were familiar with XIE and its contexts. From the very start of the lockdown, Brother Mario organized through Zoom the celebration of Eucharistic Celebration, and this custom continues even now with Mass being offered daily at 7:00 pm. The participation seems to be big.
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The Collector's Office asked us to donate rice, dal, atta for the migrants in Navi Mumbai. So, about Rs 50,000/- was spent for that purpose and also for the distribution of essentials for the needy in our own vicinity.
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Being a Jesuit Institution in Higher Education, we have tried our best, along with our sister institution, St. Xavier’s College in South Bombay, to engage our Students and Faculty intellectually. The List of Online courses that are offered is attached along with this mail. XIE seems to be the engineering college that offers the most of such courses and, that too, at almost no cost.
