It was a spontaneous gesture. TANKER Foundation Managing Trustee, Mrs Latha A. Kumaraswami, and Head, Administration, Mrs. Vasanthi Ravichander, out on an official assignment recently, happened to notice some street vendors going about their business without masks.

This happened on Spur Tank Road, Chennai, and the vendors were basket weavers who spread their wares on the roadside and eke out a living. They did not seem to understand the importance of wearing a mask during the raging Coronavirus pandemic.

On seeing them, on an impulse, Mrs Latha Kumaraswami and Mrs Vasanthi Ravichander, approached them and handed over the black trademark masks of TANKER Foundation to protect them from the virus.

The legend on the mask, in English and Tamil, talks about the importance of safeguarding one’s kidneys and the mission of the Foundation to help the underprivileged with kidney ailments.

The vendors immediately put on the masks and thanked the duo. For Mrs Latha Kumaraswami and Mrs Vasanthi Ravichander it was not just a kind act, but yet another opportunity to spread awareness about the Foundation and the need to safeguard one’s kidneys.