GUWAHATI: At a time when people are avoiding human contact in the midst of coronavirus scare in Guwahati as well as across the country, a retired professional from Guwahati displayed exemplary humanity by hosting an Italian national at his house.
Deepak Sharma, who retired as an officer from the State Bank of India (SBI), lives in an apartment in Narengi with his wife and son.
He chanced upon 25-year-old Giovanni Allegrini when he was surrounded by a group of locals on a roadside outside the railway station and was having difficulty communicating with locals.
“I saw a group of people surrounding and trying to explain a number of things to him. Some were also making fun of him and I felt ashamed at their behaviour,” said Sharma adding that this is when he decided to intervene and came to know that since he was a foreigner, no nearby hotels or lodges were ready to provide him with accommodation fearing the risk of coronavirus spread.
Sharma then asked Allegrini about his background. Allegrini informed Sharma that he had been screened for the symptoms of virus at several places including airports and railway stations and had not developed any symptoms yet.
“I decided to offer him accommotion at my house till the situation becomes better. We are maintaining all necessary precautions and have isolated ourselves in our house,” Sharma told G Plus.
Not thinking twice before offering his hospitality to a foreigner when people are turning them away, Sharma mentioned that he went on a trip to Europe last year and had visited places like Italy and France with his family. He was impressed with their warmth and open-heartedness.
He added that he has plans to get Allegrini and himself as well as his family members tested at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
Allegrini lives in New Zealand where has been working for the past couple of years. He came to India to travel and reached Mumbai on February 2. From there he went to several places in the country including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chhattisgarh and Patna.
He finally took a train from Patna to reach Guwahati on March 19 when he met Sharma.
Allegrini had planned to visit several places in northeast including Kaziranga National Park.