A truckload of hope

Although, basic necessities were the need of the hour, Akram knew there were crucial pieces missing — one, Kashmir had to face the soon-approaching winter. Hence, he initiated “Winter on Wheels”. A truck that will travel across the country and end its journey at Srinagar with material required to survive the harsh winter.

The journey began in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

But over the days, the campaign has become much more. “We are not only collecting winter material for Kashmir, but we are directing relief to Vizag that has been devastated by Hudhud and even the affected areas in the Northeast,” he says. However, the most significant realisation in Akram was the fact that these calamities were going to test our resilience as a country.

So he is turning the truck into a vehicle of hope. “It includes art and artists who will sketch messages of hope. I am being accompanied by Bengaluru-based artist Poornima Sukumar, who will help with a little bit of canvasing and to raise awareness on the issues.

Throughout the country, students and schools will be actively involved,” he says. So why has the vehicle and the journey become as important as the destination? Akram explains, “When Kashmir was hit, or even when Vizag was assaulted by Hudhud, there was a sense of hopelessness. Natural calamities have this way of telling people that there are so many things out of their control. But that’s when hope also becomes the most crucial. And to stand up together and face this as one community becomes the way forward.”