Hyderabad: A beacon of hope in gloomy times

After Covid outbreak and during its induced lockdown, several kept wrining their hands in utter despair, confined as they are to their homes. For those in the frontline of battlefield, it was a daily grind. Amidst this scenario, with an intention to help people fend off the Covid-19 gloom, and keep high the spirits of Covid warriors, a footballer- turned-social activist not reached out to help them, but also tried to instill a strong resolve amongst the differently-abled during the testing times of 2020.

30-year-old engineering graduate Mannan Khan, the founder of Deccan Blasters, at first began helping the struggling families during the lockdown. Later, he pondered over ways to keep the spirits high of those involved in fighting the Covid, such as doctors. Dr Sanjeev Kumar, known for his online free service, was amongst them.

"With whatever resources I could obtain from my circle of friends I was able to reach out to doctors, policemen, pharmacists, journalists as also singers, with the sole aim to see our city's heroes remain high-spirited during the testing times and shoulder the nation's burden with ease. The doctors who extended free treatment online were amongst the first in the list," he said.

As the government slowly relaxed the norms in August, he decided to commend the voluntary groups which remained active during the initial months of pandemic and helped thousands survive the lockdown blues. Around 25 NGOs were zeroed in on and their representatives were felicitated in recognition of their noble services.

His Deccan Blasters which was formed as a football club and trained youngsters free of cost at different locations across the city was affected after the lockdown was announced. Not the one to let his spirits stoop low, he decided to transform his brand name into a a beacon of hope. "We were able to hold a sports event for the differently-abled in November. Around 30 youngsters took part and displayed their talents," recalls Mannan.

The frontline warriors of Covid, including City Police Commissioner, were felicitated after taking appointments from their busy schedules. "Ever since the lockdown was announced, the cops remained restless and ensured all the Covid norms were followed by the general public. It was high time that someone from general public recognised the 'City Protector Heroes' for their sacrifices and endeavour to remain friendly cops, " he felt.

Mannan also organised 'Awaz ka Sikander,' where some 20 singers displayed their potential and the top 10 of them were awarded. This event was widely covered and even national channels highlighted it. "We finalised the list through an online voting and awarded the singers who stood the best," he added.

Mannan emphasises on physical fitness too. He ran a campaign against PUBG and Tiktok and commended online the youngsters who uploaded their videos of uninstalling the apps from their mobiles. Some 150 youth uploaded the videos following his call to shun the PUBG game.