Chribuna Viswas doesn't believe that he has done anything out of the ordinary. What's the big deal, he asks when we call him. He's almost embarrassed by all the attention.
A few days ago, Viswas, the English Department head of the Government Arts and Science College Kozhinjampara had donated Rs 1.10 lakh to the Kerala Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund. This was followed by a note, asking the government to vaccinate all 130 of his students and their families. It was a private affair, the professor says, until a former student of his noticed it.
"I do not think I did anything great here. This is the need of the hour," says Viswas. "Vaccines are saving lives and my students deserve it. Their parents and siblings should be vaccinated as well. So at this point, this seemed to be the right thing to do," he says. A few days ago, the Kerala government had announced free vaccinations to everyone in the state. Following this, a lot of people had donated money to the CMDRF, without being asked.
Viswas is yet to get vaccinated himself. "I have gotten myself registered and I'm waiting for my slot," he says. Despite a shortage of vaccines in the country, the Kerala government had said that it will soon buy one crore vaccines and continue its vaccine drive uninterrupted.
