Over the years, a tall, turbaned figure has stood in stark relief against monsoon clouds looming over Velachery. With a posse of Home Guards, Manjit Singh has led the charge against fear, temporary homelessness and hunger resulting from cyclonic storms. On October 15, Manjit, Assistant Commandant General, Home Guards, Chennai was prepped for a similar challenge.
His team was on the qui vive, rescue equipment and relief material massed up. The perceived threat scurrying away like cirrus clouds, the band of volunteers relaxed their vigil a couple of days later. If another weather warning shows up on the horizon, they would regroup in no time.
They know their base – Guru Nanak College. They know the people at risk – a mental flood map of Velachery, revised over the years, leading them to the right doors. They know they can reach them faster than before – thanks to a digital real-time flood-mapping system now in their arsenal.
A rescue in Velachery carried out by Home Guards in the past.| Photo Credit:Special Arrangement Given his place in the Home Guards hierarchy, Manjit Singh’s range of operations is bound to be wide extending far beyond home turf, Velachery. But during monsoon, he thinks hyperlocal, staying put in Velachery, parts of which are a trough accumulating water.
As general secretary and correspondent of Guru Nanak College, he has been able to offer a ready base for Home Guards’ rescue and relief team during monsoonal events — not to mention, food and she.