In May 2020, Amanda Reid had a realisation that would take her on an unexpected emotional journey.
She was on the phone seeking help for her sleep problems from a spiritual teacher she met in India seven years prior.
While she was able to be walking around in the sunshine close to her coastal Sydney home in Maroubra, he was in a hard lockdown in Pune, a sprawling city around 150km southeast of Mumbai.
“He was sitting in his apartment with no food, with police patrolling the streets outside - and he was trying to help me sleep on the other side of the world. I got a real sense of who he was,” Amanda told SBS News.
Before that call, Amanda hadn’t spoken to Vikash Gaurav since she met him in Pune in 2013.
Vikash, also a social worker and therapist, helped Amanda practice her mantras and meditation.
“He realised I was searching for something spiritual and not finding it,” Amanda said. “From the goodness of his heart he was really trying to assist me and I could really feel that there was nothing beyond that.”
Amanda met Vikash Gaurav in Pune on a trip to India in 2013. Source: Supplied
“I sent him a text. He didn’t remember me but he said, ‘you’ve come to me for a reason, so let’s get into it’.”
Amanda then decided she wanted to help Vikash and other Indians in lockdown somehow.
“Knowing how tough the pandemic had made things in India, I asked him if he could suggest a charity for me and my friends to donate to,” she said.
His reply was short: “just send the money to me and I’ll make sure it’s used effectively”.
It triggered an inward journey for Amanda - could she trust a near-stranger with her money?
Unable to work and relying on government support while recovering from her own complex health issues, she had little money herself.
“The reality was it had been six and a half years of no contact and then someone who was clearly in pretty dire financial straits themselves, from what I could gather, was saying 'send money to me'. It was this real inward journey of 'do I trust him or not?'”
Amanda took what felt like a “leap of faith” and cobbled together $200 to send.
“I had to trust it would go where it needed to go,” she said.
'I literally started crying'
Vikash used Amanda's money to distribute food and essentials to those in his community unable to work or claim financial support, and pay his neighbours’ electricity bills so they could stay home.
It was no easy feat.
Established charities on the ground in Pune had been hampered by not being able to risk the health of their volunteers.
Vikash had little money himself and his scooter had broken down. Plus, he had to garner police support to go into prohibited areas.
To prove what he was doing, he sent Amanda videos and photos with messages of thanks from those her money had helped.
The footage brought her to tears.
Vikash Gaurav (second from left) has been donating food parcels with money sent by Amanda Source: Supplied
“I don’t think I’m any more special than others here and it’s not much money but I guess that is the point - over there, a little went a long way.
“[Vikash's] dedication and commitment spells hope to me - and that is worth nurturing.”
Vikash Gaurav (far right) distributing parcels of essentials to those in need in Pune, India. Source: Supplied
In August 2020, she sent another $600 and in May 2021, when India was in the throes of a deadly new wave of COVID-19 and combatting a new virulent variant, she sent another $1,150.
Vikash said he will always be grateful to Amanda and others in Australia who gave money to help.
“I never asked her for any help,” he told SBS News.
“But on her own Amanda deeply studied the Indian situation and did financially whatever was possible for her. She sent money for food, domestic needs and electric bills - the basic means of survival when people needed help the most."
Vikash, originally from West Bengal, said many people in Pune have been unemployed or underemployed for months, and many others don’t have access to government support due to a lack of documents.
“I personally know of a lot of families who do not have enough to eat, pay their electricity bills and pull on with their life,” he said.
Amanda was aware that her long-distance friend was at risk of catching COVID-19 himself by distributing the parcels.
“I knew he had to go outside where the virus was and he said it was chaos. But Vikash is very spiritual with a strong faith and he just wanted to help as many people as possible - just like he was trying to help me spiritually before I offered to send the money,” she said.
My life now is all about serving other human beings. Vikash Gaurav
Vikash saw the community work as something he must do.
“My heart has always been with the poor and those who are suffering. I got into social work, not as a profession, but out of compassion,” he said.
“My life now is all about serving other human beings.”
‘Life at a standstill’
In May, Vikash was in the process of organising food parcels with Amanda’s most recent payment when his older brother in Mumbai became sick.
He rushed there to be with him, only to lose him days later.
“He was like a father to me,” Vikash said.
Vikash was shocked by how bad things were in Mumbai, which like the rest of the country was in a state of chaos.
“We have not seen a situation like this in our lifetime,” he said. “Life here has come to a standstill. Unemployment is tremendous and people are severely depressed. The whole society is shaking with fear due to so many more deaths.
“There have been so many suicides and cases of deaths out of fear, boredom and depression.”
A mass cremation ground for COVID-19 victims in Giddenahalli on the outskirts of Bangalore, India. Source: EPA
“It will take many years for life to come back to its normal and original condition,” he said.
Since the loss of his brother, Vikash's own health has deteriorated. He has also lost his income.
But he wants to continue to help those in severe poverty, especially those without access to government support. He is planning another parcel distribution with the latest money sent from Amanda.
“A lot of help is urgently needed to help these people who do not have any means of survival or recovery from bad health and mental conditions," he said.
“My desire to help people is even more strong now, seeing their suffering. I’m trying to identify the really needy people and all this takes time if we want to do a really good job."
While he is not asking Amanda for more money, he said he will willingly put any funds she sends to good use.
“Amanda has been a God-sent angel to us since the beginning of the lockdown, who feels more for the suffering Indians than probably some well-off Indians do,” he said.
“She and her other Australian friends will stay in our hearts forever.”
Amanda, who herself does not have any paid work at the moment, said she will continue to pool together what she has and fundraise in order to send more money to her friend.
“Twice I have got these photos and videos and there is something special about them, there’s an energy in them. I trust that the money goes where it’s needed,” she said.
While she can’t save lives, she wants people doing it tough to know that even if they feel forgotten by their government, they are not forgotten by the world.
“When I saw those videos I realised that across the globe I can make a change, even if it’s a small one, and so that’s part of what the journey was for me.
“In a tiny way we can say, 'people in Australia haven’t forgotten you', and maybe for some of those people, it helps get them through.”
UPDATE: After this article was published, Amanda was inundated with requests to help. She encourages people to support a cause of their choice.
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25). More information is available at and . supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
