Item
Parmjit Singh Oral History, 2021/05/11
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
Parmjit Singh Oral History, 2021/05/11
Description (Dublin Core)
Parmjit Kaur Singh is a hard-working immigrant from Punjab, India. She came here when she got married and had two boys by the name of Harpreet Singh and Gurpreet Singh. She currently lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with her family and owns a convenience store in town. She enjoys drinking tea, watching Indian soap operas, gardening, and spending time with her family. In this interview, she gives her thoughts on Covid-19, its impact on her business, and also how it has been devastating to her native country of India.
Recording Date (Dublin Core)
Creator (Dublin Core)
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Partner (Dublin Core)
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Health & Wellness
English
Home & Family Life
English
Immigration
English
Entrepreneurs
English
Social Distance
English
Religion
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Collection (Dublin Core)
Curatorial Notes (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
12/22/2021
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
06/08/2023
06/19/2023
Date Created (Dublin Core)
05/11/2021
Interviewer (Bibliographic Ontology)
Gurpreet Singh
Interviewee (Bibliographic Ontology)
Parmjit Singh
Location (Omeka Classic)
54701
Eau Claire
Wisconsin
United States of America
Format (Dublin Core)
Video
Language (Dublin Core)
English
Duration (Omeka Classic)
00:26:38
abstract (Bibliographic Ontology)
Parmjit Kaur Singh is a hard-working immigrant from Punjab, India. She came here when she got married and had two boys by the name of Harpreet Singh and Gurpreet Singh. She currently lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with her family and owns a convenience store in town. She enjoys drinking tea, watching Indian soap operas, gardening, and spending time with her family. In this interview, she gives her thoughts on Covid-19, its impact on her business, and also how it has been devastating to her native country of India.
Transcription (Omeka Classic)
11 2021 in Wisconsin there are 660 6401 confirmed cases of covert.
00:16Wisconsin vaccines administered so far has been to 39.6 of the population.
00:24The total cases and the US entirely is 32.8 million.
00:31The total vaccines administered in the USA is 34.8 of the population and for India, the total cases confirmed is 23 million with 250,000 confirmed cases and the total and vaccines administered has been to 11.5% of the population.
00:57My name is concrete saying i'm 25 years old.
01:02This is for Class at uw etc, and the classes public history with Dr for and.
01:14i'm interviewing.
Pami Singh
01:18me saying, my name is Pam using my ears is 58 year old and.
01:25I live in Wisconsin eau Claire and i'm from India, and I have to, I have a family here my husband and my two kids we live together, and we have a gas station we own the gas station and I work over there, so in the corner cases is.
01:44A lot now.
01:47And Okay, so people scare them sometime i'm scared to because this is, this is very bad virus or.
01:56We take percussion for their.
02:00to wear the mask all the time in the virtual hail, and just take it for yourself.
02:06And so inspected by other people's Meta mask.
Gurpreet Singh
02:10yeah so you you already gave me a lot of knowledge, so far, I was going to ask you what your knowledge of cove it is so you already got a good grip on that So where do you usually get your news for coven.
Pami Singh
02:24From social media Indian news American news I bought all the time, so and instagram what's up and Indian news.
02:33So from the TV channel from CNN so.
02:37I bought a lot of media.
Gurpreet Singh
02:39So you have mainstream media and you hear from other people too.
02:43He is.
Pami Singh
02:44Talking in.
02:46My bed.
02:48Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
02:51and
02:54What do you like better the Indian news or the American news when it comes to covid.
Pami Singh
03:02I like more different, they are true, you know, so I listen all these so.
03:10I like both I.
Gurpreet Singh
03:12Like both.
03:13mode okay um.
03:16So the places you mentioned whatsapp and you mentioned the Indian news i'm hearing from different people do talk to your family members over there and India right now.
Pami Singh
03:29Well, yes, I talked to my family members so yeah they give me permission to.
Gurpreet Singh
03:35Okay, and so there's been new strange showing up over there.
Pami Singh
03:43yeah, this is a bit sad, this is a third stage now that's that is attacking to the young kids and yet, people are very, very scared now because it's attacking on the kids the kids don't know how to protect them, they don't know anything, so this is.
Gurpreet Singh
04:06Okay, so um you said it was a third stage third.
04:14third wave coming in and there's also different variants that are coming into India that are also making a very bad for people.
Pami Singh
04:24yeah the people have a black fungus.
04:27Okay, it comes from the medicine, the screen, or do they give it to them so lot of people in.
Gurpreet Singh
04:36Okay, and that's you think maybe that's happening because they don't have access to the other types of medicine that we have over here.
04:44Yes, okay there's a lot of different difficulties over there.
Pami Singh
04:50Are these people don't have an offseason.
04:53Oh yeah.
04:55it's like tell me more about the oxygen situation over there.
04:59Yes, the people, the hospital shut their doors they don't have a beds, they don't have oxygen so, then the goal the virus, the people from the cicadas they distribute.
05:13calendars.
Gurpreet Singh
05:14The garage if you can tell us what it is.
Pami Singh
05:18This is the day call sikh aid.
Gurpreet Singh
05:21Okay, and thats good, what is the temple for the Sikhs.
Pami Singh
05:26ghudwara they provide the food for the people's they provide the oxygen they provide the beds, they help a lot more than.
Gurpreet Singh
05:34A lot and all over India they're helping are also all over the world.
Pami Singh
05:40yeah they are helping all over the world anywhere, people need help, they just reach there.
Gurpreet Singh
05:48that's great and you said of hospitals are overflowing so a lot of people can't go to the hospitals.
Pami Singh
05:56No.
05:58hospital shut their doors, the people sitting outside and begging for the beds begging for the oxygen and a lot of people dying on the stage.
06:09They can do anything and people are scared, the situation is very worse over there.
Gurpreet Singh
06:16And it's also hard for all the people's families that live outside.
Pami Singh
06:21Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
06:22You know you right now, you can't even travel over there, right now.
06:26People can even really go to the hospital either right.
Pami Singh
06:31Yes, right.
Gurpreet Singh
06:33So they have like the same restrictions, they have here where they only let like one person go in, or they're not.
06:39letting people say goodbye.
Pami Singh
06:41Yes, one person or two person so other people can go this one people person go there and somebody to them so.
Gurpreet Singh
06:49Somebody has covid changed the way they're you know.
06:53doing the funeral rites, because normally they'll burn and then also put into the River Ganges.
Pami Singh
07:01Yes, they.
Gurpreet Singh
07:02Are they can cover.
Pami Singh
07:03yeah people don't have any money to do the ceremonies or something like that, then they just throw the people, the bodies and in ravi ravi river, so people found 48 bodies in raw in ravi river last night.
07:22So.
07:23We don't do anything.
Gurpreet Singh
07:26This happened last night.
Pami Singh
07:28Yes, last night.
Gurpreet Singh
07:34Okay, and do you think it's a it's a more do you think it's more of a scary situation what's happening over there, then what's happening here.
Pami Singh
07:43yeah it's more scary or there people don't have.
07:47enough money to live there, they have a lot down, they can go to work some shops are open and just.
07:57They can they can make money, and how can they survive.
08:02What they are only one person make money and whole family going to eat so.
Gurpreet Singh
08:08and
08:09If you can for for the people who watch this can you explain the kind of jobs that a lot of the people have because it's not a lot of rich farmer jobs or.
08:20Big Hollywood acting or Bollywood.
08:23Acting jobs, a lot of the people are working in the factories are working in the already really bad conditions, so if coven, how do you think that's changed everything.
Pami Singh
08:34And the working condition is converting their lives gets it only having food at home family is struggling the most.
08:46The middle class families and hard more.
Gurpreet Singh
08:50The middle class families.
08:52classroom What about the poor people as well.
Pami Singh
08:56As always, struggling so if they are struggling before they are struggling now and it's people, as you know, they don't worry for before then they don't worry now on the middle class is can be heard.
Gurpreet Singh
09:10 Okay, so no I that's.
09:15that's very eye opening in in regards to cove it in the class system that works over there.
09:22Yes, but it's good to hear that there's places like the Sikh temples ago the waters that are there, helping everybody.
09:31With oxygen and stuff.
09:34And also, you said, I want to come back to what you said about whatsapp on there um so since people aren't able to go to the hospitals and there aren't able to get the medications and a lot of people I know there's a lot of people that live in the very far away places.
09:53So if they need to go to the hospital or they need to go get medicine they have to travel very far.
09:59One so there's a lot of people if i'm correct getting medicine and oxygen and buying it through whatsapp, which is the Indian version of like.
10:13Facebook or social media.
Pami Singh
10:16Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
10:18Yes, could you could you explain something on that can you explain that what are they getting on whatsapp.
Pami Singh
10:24Sometime they put their story on the Facebook or any any social media, then the sick aid they they know that, through the media, then they reach their right away, then they give them hope.
10:38That there's some social media help a lot.
10:43So.
Gurpreet Singh
10:47You.
10:49about the about the death So what are people doing with the bodies like.
10:56With the burning so is no I saw there is something about a lot of people are burning their bodies, at the same time.
Pami Singh
11:05yeah the body, the body, the body bodies and the same time, and sometimes they bird on their yards they don't find the room, they don't find the place from the graveyard is all fall all packed.
11:18And they burn their bodies on the streets, some people throw their bodies from the car and ran away his situation is worse.
Gurpreet Singh
11:29Worse, then America,
11:35Okay, yes, because there's a lot of people over there.
Pami Singh
11:40Yes, a lot of people and so much pollution and now, when the bone the bodies, the smoke a you know is it's more work.
Gurpreet Singh
11:51Okay, so when they're so cuz i'm that makes sense there's a lot of people burning their body, because there's a lot of people dying and that's affecting the breathing air because it's already really bad in Delhi.
Pami Singh
12:04Yes, very bad and then.
Gurpreet Singh
12:06very bad okay wow that's that's really intense that's that's very sad.
Pami Singh
12:14very sad.
Gurpreet Singh
12:15But, especially now that there's the possibility and it or not, possibility it's actually happening that the children are getting infected.
12:25yeah.
Pami Singh
12:26yeah.
Gurpreet Singh
12:28Do you think it might come this way, since a lot of the strains that came to India we're already you know new strains from the UK in different parts of the country or the world.
Pami Singh
12:44Oh, you don't know about year 16 came home but Satan is bad.
Gurpreet Singh
12:50Okay yeah because there's new variant that showed in India.
12:54yeah i'm new variant also that showed in UK and also South Africa and i'm sure more places are going to have more variants in India has a huge population.
Pami Singh
13:08Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
13:09So that could be also affecting that as well.
13:14um.
13:16With the with the vaccines, what are your thoughts.
Pami Singh
13:21vaccine is okay So yes, people a lot of people scared a lot of people interested to take the vaccine So yes.
13:31The vaccine is good, I think vaccine is good, so you have to take your yourself if you have a vaccine then his chances is less to get the code and if you get the covert then it's not going to affect you that much so, you should take the vaccine.
13:48Everybody had to take the vaccine.
Gurpreet Singh
13:51Okay, I completely I completely agree everybody should strongly.
13:56consider taking the.
Pami Singh
13:58vaccine, some people scared don't be scared.
Gurpreet Singh
14:05Is there a preference that you have for the certain type of vaccine for the Pfizer or Madonna or Johnson and Johnson.
14:12Pfizer Pfizer is your your vaccine of choice.
14:17Yes, Okay, and what do you think about how do you feel about over here in America they're wasting millions of vaccines and in India people aren't even able to get the vaccines, they don't even have an option of what kind they want.
Pami Singh
14:37yeah they don't have any option, they just begging for the vaccine they don't know what kind they said just give us a vaccine, we want a.
14:47protection from the code.
14:49So I don't know about the vaccines name in India, what they get engineering but it's very hard situation and I don't know they get the vaccine or not
Gurpreet Singh
15:01And that kind of led to them using a lot of the other medicines and the steroids, and now that they have the blacks long fungus like you told me.
Pami Singh
15:11Yes, they said, this is the side effect for the medicine and medicine is whatever they have the stores have they just charge alarm money the.
15:23Money that the rich people can afford, but the poor people can afford that so.
Gurpreet Singh
15:31there's not any laws in India that.
Pami Singh
15:34prevent no laws in India know.
Gurpreet Singh
15:37cuz I know I know the same thing happened here and where some people started charging more.
15:44For toilet paper water and.
15:49Hand sanitizer.
Unknown Speaker
15:50yeah.
Pami Singh
15:52Then they caught it right away in here they caught right away, but in India, they can find who did that you know.
Gurpreet Singh
16:01So, like in the police really don't care also.
Pami Singh
16:04Yes, people sometimes you know the police know but they don't do anything.
Gurpreet Singh
16:10You know, maybe they say like.
16:12If you give if you give me some.
Pami Singh
16:14yeah kidding so, then they.
Gurpreet Singh
16:17They bribe them, so you know.
Pami Singh
16:19Open their mouths because they get the some portion.
Gurpreet Singh
16:23Okay, that makes sense.
16:26wow that's that's crazy.
16:31Anyway, family members in India that have gotten sick.
Pami Singh
16:35know the touchable they're not sick, so they are, they are good, they are healthy.
Gurpreet Singh
16:41that's, how do you know how they're feeling about everything that's happening over there.
Pami Singh
16:45yeah they're scared I was talking about this gear, but they're not sick.
16:52Oh, the inside of sake, some.
16:54Families sake, or they talking about them, but they are not.
Gurpreet Singh
17:00In their in their village and their city um is there a lot of covert cases compared to the rest of India, or is it.
Pami Singh
17:12No, they don't have a lot of cases, because they are no suicide, so the outside Punjab is is literally safe it's not safe safe but it's just better than New Delhi and Bombay.
Gurpreet Singh
17:31Like the population is a little bit.
Pami Singh
17:33Less and the open, they have a little open area, and you know that New Delhi too much crowd Bombay too much crowd but they have a like a very open so maybe they live, they just live far away from each other so that's why they don't having.
17:52Not having to just have a safe now.
Gurpreet Singh
17:56And then, when was the last time they you talk to family in India.
Pami Singh
18:03Just like three days ago.
Gurpreet Singh
18:05Three days ago, so they know about the kids getting affected in the black fungus and stuff.
Pami Singh
18:11yeah they know about that they were scared and they're very careful for the kids now.
Gurpreet Singh
18:17Okay, so that's that has affected the way they're there they live their lives.
Pami Singh
18:23Yes, yeah they are.
18:27Now, because kids don't know anything so that's why they worry for them than the young kids and the whole family so three young kids and one is like a 10 year old so that's why they are you.
Unknown Speaker
18:39know.
Unknown Speaker
18:42like that.
Gurpreet Singh
18:43And how has that affected you, knowing that all your family is in India and it's.
18:48Not safe at all and.
18:51there's medicine.
Pami Singh
18:53yeah no no madison's over there no facilities, the hospital is fall So what can they do you know, then I tell them to Stacey.
Gurpreet Singh
19:03How does that make you feel.
Pami Singh
19:06With your family over there.
19:08He said and I i'm scared.
Gurpreet Singh
19:13that's very reasonable.
19:16and
19:19If you will.
19:21If you like to tell me, so you said you had a gas station yeah that you own.
Pami Singh
19:27Yes, I own.
19:29And I work every day.
19:31Okay, yes.
Gurpreet Singh
19:33that's good that's good.
Pami Singh
19:34Hard work is good.
Gurpreet Singh
19:36Oh wow, how do you how has that been affected by covert.
Pami Singh
19:43yeah and people come that you know before as like a people can feel free you know, like a.
19:50The enjoying their life now, you can see fearful of fear on everybody's face, you know they are they're scared and they have too much like a.
20:04They do too much personal production for them so and they don't want to go too much outside so otherwise people you know they enjoy their life they go outside they doing some stuff they love their lives now everybody is like a.
20:22scared.
Gurpreet Singh
20:23it's just change.
Pami Singh
20:27everyone's life here.
Gurpreet Singh
20:28And you can see their.
Pami Singh
20:30Customers or we see everybody's smiling face now everybody cover their face, and you know they're scared they don't talk too much so, they just ready to go leave so before they just standing and talking like a friendship now everybody is like stop doing that.
Gurpreet Singh
20:49And then, like you said, people covering their faces and stuff so with the mass men David Have you had any trouble with people not wearing their masks.
Pami Singh
20:58know they they wear the mosque they follow the rules that's good, we had a good customers.
Gurpreet Singh
21:05Well, good it's good to hear that everybody safe and respecting.
Pami Singh
21:11each other, so they follow the rules, this lemmings behind 63 distance they follow everything.
Gurpreet Singh
21:19And there with also covered a lot of Asian Americans have been having some racial hate and been treated differently, but have you experienced any bad or no.
Pami Singh
21:31No, I didn't see anything with me and I never did to other people so.
21:36Okay, you have to leave before i'm saying now I never do that, but nobody did with me then.
Gurpreet Singh
21:44The address has affected the business aspect and making money or.
21:51Yes, what traffic.
Pami Singh
21:53Yes, that one is affected.
21:56yeah they affect our large global effect allowed for the business.
22:02People don't want to go outside they don't want to be sick, so they just come for what they need, and they just left quick.
Gurpreet Singh
22:12People aren't walking around and look.
Pami Singh
22:14At this.
22:15They don't have money to spend so.
22:22Many ways.
Gurpreet Singh
22:23Has there been any help from the government for the business or not really.
Pami Singh
22:28not really.
Gurpreet Singh
22:34that's understandable um how is your health, then you have you been good during this time.
Pami Singh
22:40Oh yeah some tattooed i'm very good last year and i'm very good, this year too, so i'm healthy.
Gurpreet Singh
22:47And, have you so you haven't gotten sick, have you gotten your vaccine, or do you plan on it.
Pami Singh
22:53yeah I plan on it, but i'm not sick so.
Gurpreet Singh
22:57Okay.
Pami Singh
22:58i'm getting I have a plan to get the vaccine.
Gurpreet Singh
23:05We talked about some really serious stuff over there in India that's happening do one last question before we wrap this up, do you think it's gonna get better over there in India, or do you think it's just going to continue to get worse until it's you know for for a while.
Pami Singh
23:26For a while is getting worse than I hope hope they are getting better soon.
23:33I wish, and I hope they're getting some better so.
Gurpreet Singh
23:37it's a good thing, maybe the government.
Pami Singh
23:41yeah the other countries help them, so the hope the Lord are going to help them and they may be better soon, like other countries clear out maybe they they're going to clear out very soon.
23:55I hope so.
Gurpreet Singh
23:57Okay yeah I hope so too it's just absolutely horrible to hear that this is happening, and especially when people are throwing away vaccines here or they're not even getting their vaccines.
24:13And people in India don't even have the option to get vaccines, they have to take other medicines and that in turn they're getting fungus and they're facing a whole nother wave, and you know people aren't even getting admitted to the hospital but, but the rich people are.
Pami Singh
24:31yeah the hospital charging too much money.
Gurpreet Singh
24:35Oh, even the hospital increase their price.
24:37Oh yes, oh goodness.
Pami Singh
24:40Well, the one lady sick for four days in hospital.
24:44he's she said, four days and they chose one a lot 45,000 rupees for four days.
Gurpreet Singh
24:53One how is how much is one lock is that 1 million.
Pami Singh
24:57No, no one is like a you want to be doing know the dollars.
Gurpreet Singh
25:03dollars or a.
Pami Singh
25:05million.
25:06hundred lock is I think 1 million.
25:09it's it's less than.
Gurpreet Singh
25:11So around hundred or $200,000 around us.
Pami Singh
25:15Less than one.
25:18Maybe $2,000.
25:20or 25,000 yeah.
Gurpreet Singh
25:23By over there, a lock is like.
25:27100,000.
Pami Singh
25:28yeah too much for the poor people's and they charge for body, the body's then they charge money to.
25:36The bodies.
Gurpreet Singh
25:37they're charging money to bear to burn the for people to burn their.
Pami Singh
25:42loved ones bodies around hundred dollar they said because they using people.
25:48For the family members to family members go there and the channel for the PP get.
Gurpreet Singh
25:54The paper you can is the okay protect.
Pami Singh
25:57The claw the the dress they were then they burn the body they charge money for that.
Gurpreet Singh
26:05Oh.
Pami Singh
26:06it's worse, where he was.
Gurpreet Singh
26:07Well that's.
26:10Man that's a very.
26:13that's very sad.
Pami Singh
26:15That he said, people struggling.
Gurpreet Singh
26:18Well i'm happy that you're okay or families okay or family and then gives okay.
26:25Thank you for doing this interview with me very much.
26:28Thank you.
26:29Thanks alright Thank you have a good one.
Pami Singh
26:33Thank you.
00:16Wisconsin vaccines administered so far has been to 39.6 of the population.
00:24The total cases and the US entirely is 32.8 million.
00:31The total vaccines administered in the USA is 34.8 of the population and for India, the total cases confirmed is 23 million with 250,000 confirmed cases and the total and vaccines administered has been to 11.5% of the population.
00:57My name is concrete saying i'm 25 years old.
01:02This is for Class at uw etc, and the classes public history with Dr for and.
01:14i'm interviewing.
Pami Singh
01:18me saying, my name is Pam using my ears is 58 year old and.
01:25I live in Wisconsin eau Claire and i'm from India, and I have to, I have a family here my husband and my two kids we live together, and we have a gas station we own the gas station and I work over there, so in the corner cases is.
01:44A lot now.
01:47And Okay, so people scare them sometime i'm scared to because this is, this is very bad virus or.
01:56We take percussion for their.
02:00to wear the mask all the time in the virtual hail, and just take it for yourself.
02:06And so inspected by other people's Meta mask.
Gurpreet Singh
02:10yeah so you you already gave me a lot of knowledge, so far, I was going to ask you what your knowledge of cove it is so you already got a good grip on that So where do you usually get your news for coven.
Pami Singh
02:24From social media Indian news American news I bought all the time, so and instagram what's up and Indian news.
02:33So from the TV channel from CNN so.
02:37I bought a lot of media.
Gurpreet Singh
02:39So you have mainstream media and you hear from other people too.
02:43He is.
Pami Singh
02:44Talking in.
02:46My bed.
02:48Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
02:51and
02:54What do you like better the Indian news or the American news when it comes to covid.
Pami Singh
03:02I like more different, they are true, you know, so I listen all these so.
03:10I like both I.
Gurpreet Singh
03:12Like both.
03:13mode okay um.
03:16So the places you mentioned whatsapp and you mentioned the Indian news i'm hearing from different people do talk to your family members over there and India right now.
Pami Singh
03:29Well, yes, I talked to my family members so yeah they give me permission to.
Gurpreet Singh
03:35Okay, and so there's been new strange showing up over there.
Pami Singh
03:43yeah, this is a bit sad, this is a third stage now that's that is attacking to the young kids and yet, people are very, very scared now because it's attacking on the kids the kids don't know how to protect them, they don't know anything, so this is.
Gurpreet Singh
04:06Okay, so um you said it was a third stage third.
04:14third wave coming in and there's also different variants that are coming into India that are also making a very bad for people.
Pami Singh
04:24yeah the people have a black fungus.
04:27Okay, it comes from the medicine, the screen, or do they give it to them so lot of people in.
Gurpreet Singh
04:36Okay, and that's you think maybe that's happening because they don't have access to the other types of medicine that we have over here.
04:44Yes, okay there's a lot of different difficulties over there.
Pami Singh
04:50Are these people don't have an offseason.
04:53Oh yeah.
04:55it's like tell me more about the oxygen situation over there.
04:59Yes, the people, the hospital shut their doors they don't have a beds, they don't have oxygen so, then the goal the virus, the people from the cicadas they distribute.
05:13calendars.
Gurpreet Singh
05:14The garage if you can tell us what it is.
Pami Singh
05:18This is the day call sikh aid.
Gurpreet Singh
05:21Okay, and thats good, what is the temple for the Sikhs.
Pami Singh
05:26ghudwara they provide the food for the people's they provide the oxygen they provide the beds, they help a lot more than.
Gurpreet Singh
05:34A lot and all over India they're helping are also all over the world.
Pami Singh
05:40yeah they are helping all over the world anywhere, people need help, they just reach there.
Gurpreet Singh
05:48that's great and you said of hospitals are overflowing so a lot of people can't go to the hospitals.
Pami Singh
05:56No.
05:58hospital shut their doors, the people sitting outside and begging for the beds begging for the oxygen and a lot of people dying on the stage.
06:09They can do anything and people are scared, the situation is very worse over there.
Gurpreet Singh
06:16And it's also hard for all the people's families that live outside.
Pami Singh
06:21Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
06:22You know you right now, you can't even travel over there, right now.
06:26People can even really go to the hospital either right.
Pami Singh
06:31Yes, right.
Gurpreet Singh
06:33So they have like the same restrictions, they have here where they only let like one person go in, or they're not.
06:39letting people say goodbye.
Pami Singh
06:41Yes, one person or two person so other people can go this one people person go there and somebody to them so.
Gurpreet Singh
06:49Somebody has covid changed the way they're you know.
06:53doing the funeral rites, because normally they'll burn and then also put into the River Ganges.
Pami Singh
07:01Yes, they.
Gurpreet Singh
07:02Are they can cover.
Pami Singh
07:03yeah people don't have any money to do the ceremonies or something like that, then they just throw the people, the bodies and in ravi ravi river, so people found 48 bodies in raw in ravi river last night.
07:22So.
07:23We don't do anything.
Gurpreet Singh
07:26This happened last night.
Pami Singh
07:28Yes, last night.
Gurpreet Singh
07:34Okay, and do you think it's a it's a more do you think it's more of a scary situation what's happening over there, then what's happening here.
Pami Singh
07:43yeah it's more scary or there people don't have.
07:47enough money to live there, they have a lot down, they can go to work some shops are open and just.
07:57They can they can make money, and how can they survive.
08:02What they are only one person make money and whole family going to eat so.
Gurpreet Singh
08:08and
08:09If you can for for the people who watch this can you explain the kind of jobs that a lot of the people have because it's not a lot of rich farmer jobs or.
08:20Big Hollywood acting or Bollywood.
08:23Acting jobs, a lot of the people are working in the factories are working in the already really bad conditions, so if coven, how do you think that's changed everything.
Pami Singh
08:34And the working condition is converting their lives gets it only having food at home family is struggling the most.
08:46The middle class families and hard more.
Gurpreet Singh
08:50The middle class families.
08:52classroom What about the poor people as well.
Pami Singh
08:56As always, struggling so if they are struggling before they are struggling now and it's people, as you know, they don't worry for before then they don't worry now on the middle class is can be heard.
Gurpreet Singh
09:10 Okay, so no I that's.
09:15that's very eye opening in in regards to cove it in the class system that works over there.
09:22Yes, but it's good to hear that there's places like the Sikh temples ago the waters that are there, helping everybody.
09:31With oxygen and stuff.
09:34And also, you said, I want to come back to what you said about whatsapp on there um so since people aren't able to go to the hospitals and there aren't able to get the medications and a lot of people I know there's a lot of people that live in the very far away places.
09:53So if they need to go to the hospital or they need to go get medicine they have to travel very far.
09:59One so there's a lot of people if i'm correct getting medicine and oxygen and buying it through whatsapp, which is the Indian version of like.
10:13Facebook or social media.
Pami Singh
10:16Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
10:18Yes, could you could you explain something on that can you explain that what are they getting on whatsapp.
Pami Singh
10:24Sometime they put their story on the Facebook or any any social media, then the sick aid they they know that, through the media, then they reach their right away, then they give them hope.
10:38That there's some social media help a lot.
10:43So.
Gurpreet Singh
10:47You.
10:49about the about the death So what are people doing with the bodies like.
10:56With the burning so is no I saw there is something about a lot of people are burning their bodies, at the same time.
Pami Singh
11:05yeah the body, the body, the body bodies and the same time, and sometimes they bird on their yards they don't find the room, they don't find the place from the graveyard is all fall all packed.
11:18And they burn their bodies on the streets, some people throw their bodies from the car and ran away his situation is worse.
Gurpreet Singh
11:29Worse, then America,
11:35Okay, yes, because there's a lot of people over there.
Pami Singh
11:40Yes, a lot of people and so much pollution and now, when the bone the bodies, the smoke a you know is it's more work.
Gurpreet Singh
11:51Okay, so when they're so cuz i'm that makes sense there's a lot of people burning their body, because there's a lot of people dying and that's affecting the breathing air because it's already really bad in Delhi.
Pami Singh
12:04Yes, very bad and then.
Gurpreet Singh
12:06very bad okay wow that's that's really intense that's that's very sad.
Pami Singh
12:14very sad.
Gurpreet Singh
12:15But, especially now that there's the possibility and it or not, possibility it's actually happening that the children are getting infected.
12:25yeah.
Pami Singh
12:26yeah.
Gurpreet Singh
12:28Do you think it might come this way, since a lot of the strains that came to India we're already you know new strains from the UK in different parts of the country or the world.
Pami Singh
12:44Oh, you don't know about year 16 came home but Satan is bad.
Gurpreet Singh
12:50Okay yeah because there's new variant that showed in India.
12:54yeah i'm new variant also that showed in UK and also South Africa and i'm sure more places are going to have more variants in India has a huge population.
Pami Singh
13:08Yes.
Gurpreet Singh
13:09So that could be also affecting that as well.
13:14um.
13:16With the with the vaccines, what are your thoughts.
Pami Singh
13:21vaccine is okay So yes, people a lot of people scared a lot of people interested to take the vaccine So yes.
13:31The vaccine is good, I think vaccine is good, so you have to take your yourself if you have a vaccine then his chances is less to get the code and if you get the covert then it's not going to affect you that much so, you should take the vaccine.
13:48Everybody had to take the vaccine.
Gurpreet Singh
13:51Okay, I completely I completely agree everybody should strongly.
13:56consider taking the.
Pami Singh
13:58vaccine, some people scared don't be scared.
Gurpreet Singh
14:05Is there a preference that you have for the certain type of vaccine for the Pfizer or Madonna or Johnson and Johnson.
14:12Pfizer Pfizer is your your vaccine of choice.
14:17Yes, Okay, and what do you think about how do you feel about over here in America they're wasting millions of vaccines and in India people aren't even able to get the vaccines, they don't even have an option of what kind they want.
Pami Singh
14:37yeah they don't have any option, they just begging for the vaccine they don't know what kind they said just give us a vaccine, we want a.
14:47protection from the code.
14:49So I don't know about the vaccines name in India, what they get engineering but it's very hard situation and I don't know they get the vaccine or not
Gurpreet Singh
15:01And that kind of led to them using a lot of the other medicines and the steroids, and now that they have the blacks long fungus like you told me.
Pami Singh
15:11Yes, they said, this is the side effect for the medicine and medicine is whatever they have the stores have they just charge alarm money the.
15:23Money that the rich people can afford, but the poor people can afford that so.
Gurpreet Singh
15:31there's not any laws in India that.
Pami Singh
15:34prevent no laws in India know.
Gurpreet Singh
15:37cuz I know I know the same thing happened here and where some people started charging more.
15:44For toilet paper water and.
15:49Hand sanitizer.
Unknown Speaker
15:50yeah.
Pami Singh
15:52Then they caught it right away in here they caught right away, but in India, they can find who did that you know.
Gurpreet Singh
16:01So, like in the police really don't care also.
Pami Singh
16:04Yes, people sometimes you know the police know but they don't do anything.
Gurpreet Singh
16:10You know, maybe they say like.
16:12If you give if you give me some.
Pami Singh
16:14yeah kidding so, then they.
Gurpreet Singh
16:17They bribe them, so you know.
Pami Singh
16:19Open their mouths because they get the some portion.
Gurpreet Singh
16:23Okay, that makes sense.
16:26wow that's that's crazy.
16:31Anyway, family members in India that have gotten sick.
Pami Singh
16:35know the touchable they're not sick, so they are, they are good, they are healthy.
Gurpreet Singh
16:41that's, how do you know how they're feeling about everything that's happening over there.
Pami Singh
16:45yeah they're scared I was talking about this gear, but they're not sick.
16:52Oh, the inside of sake, some.
16:54Families sake, or they talking about them, but they are not.
Gurpreet Singh
17:00In their in their village and their city um is there a lot of covert cases compared to the rest of India, or is it.
Pami Singh
17:12No, they don't have a lot of cases, because they are no suicide, so the outside Punjab is is literally safe it's not safe safe but it's just better than New Delhi and Bombay.
Gurpreet Singh
17:31Like the population is a little bit.
Pami Singh
17:33Less and the open, they have a little open area, and you know that New Delhi too much crowd Bombay too much crowd but they have a like a very open so maybe they live, they just live far away from each other so that's why they don't having.
17:52Not having to just have a safe now.
Gurpreet Singh
17:56And then, when was the last time they you talk to family in India.
Pami Singh
18:03Just like three days ago.
Gurpreet Singh
18:05Three days ago, so they know about the kids getting affected in the black fungus and stuff.
Pami Singh
18:11yeah they know about that they were scared and they're very careful for the kids now.
Gurpreet Singh
18:17Okay, so that's that has affected the way they're there they live their lives.
Pami Singh
18:23Yes, yeah they are.
18:27Now, because kids don't know anything so that's why they worry for them than the young kids and the whole family so three young kids and one is like a 10 year old so that's why they are you.
Unknown Speaker
18:39know.
Unknown Speaker
18:42like that.
Gurpreet Singh
18:43And how has that affected you, knowing that all your family is in India and it's.
18:48Not safe at all and.
18:51there's medicine.
Pami Singh
18:53yeah no no madison's over there no facilities, the hospital is fall So what can they do you know, then I tell them to Stacey.
Gurpreet Singh
19:03How does that make you feel.
Pami Singh
19:06With your family over there.
19:08He said and I i'm scared.
Gurpreet Singh
19:13that's very reasonable.
19:16and
19:19If you will.
19:21If you like to tell me, so you said you had a gas station yeah that you own.
Pami Singh
19:27Yes, I own.
19:29And I work every day.
19:31Okay, yes.
Gurpreet Singh
19:33that's good that's good.
Pami Singh
19:34Hard work is good.
Gurpreet Singh
19:36Oh wow, how do you how has that been affected by covert.
Pami Singh
19:43yeah and people come that you know before as like a people can feel free you know, like a.
19:50The enjoying their life now, you can see fearful of fear on everybody's face, you know they are they're scared and they have too much like a.
20:04They do too much personal production for them so and they don't want to go too much outside so otherwise people you know they enjoy their life they go outside they doing some stuff they love their lives now everybody is like a.
20:22scared.
Gurpreet Singh
20:23it's just change.
Pami Singh
20:27everyone's life here.
Gurpreet Singh
20:28And you can see their.
Pami Singh
20:30Customers or we see everybody's smiling face now everybody cover their face, and you know they're scared they don't talk too much so, they just ready to go leave so before they just standing and talking like a friendship now everybody is like stop doing that.
Gurpreet Singh
20:49And then, like you said, people covering their faces and stuff so with the mass men David Have you had any trouble with people not wearing their masks.
Pami Singh
20:58know they they wear the mosque they follow the rules that's good, we had a good customers.
Gurpreet Singh
21:05Well, good it's good to hear that everybody safe and respecting.
Pami Singh
21:11each other, so they follow the rules, this lemmings behind 63 distance they follow everything.
Gurpreet Singh
21:19And there with also covered a lot of Asian Americans have been having some racial hate and been treated differently, but have you experienced any bad or no.
Pami Singh
21:31No, I didn't see anything with me and I never did to other people so.
21:36Okay, you have to leave before i'm saying now I never do that, but nobody did with me then.
Gurpreet Singh
21:44The address has affected the business aspect and making money or.
21:51Yes, what traffic.
Pami Singh
21:53Yes, that one is affected.
21:56yeah they affect our large global effect allowed for the business.
22:02People don't want to go outside they don't want to be sick, so they just come for what they need, and they just left quick.
Gurpreet Singh
22:12People aren't walking around and look.
Pami Singh
22:14At this.
22:15They don't have money to spend so.
22:22Many ways.
Gurpreet Singh
22:23Has there been any help from the government for the business or not really.
Pami Singh
22:28not really.
Gurpreet Singh
22:34that's understandable um how is your health, then you have you been good during this time.
Pami Singh
22:40Oh yeah some tattooed i'm very good last year and i'm very good, this year too, so i'm healthy.
Gurpreet Singh
22:47And, have you so you haven't gotten sick, have you gotten your vaccine, or do you plan on it.
Pami Singh
22:53yeah I plan on it, but i'm not sick so.
Gurpreet Singh
22:57Okay.
Pami Singh
22:58i'm getting I have a plan to get the vaccine.
Gurpreet Singh
23:05We talked about some really serious stuff over there in India that's happening do one last question before we wrap this up, do you think it's gonna get better over there in India, or do you think it's just going to continue to get worse until it's you know for for a while.
Pami Singh
23:26For a while is getting worse than I hope hope they are getting better soon.
23:33I wish, and I hope they're getting some better so.
Gurpreet Singh
23:37it's a good thing, maybe the government.
Pami Singh
23:41yeah the other countries help them, so the hope the Lord are going to help them and they may be better soon, like other countries clear out maybe they they're going to clear out very soon.
23:55I hope so.
Gurpreet Singh
23:57Okay yeah I hope so too it's just absolutely horrible to hear that this is happening, and especially when people are throwing away vaccines here or they're not even getting their vaccines.
24:13And people in India don't even have the option to get vaccines, they have to take other medicines and that in turn they're getting fungus and they're facing a whole nother wave, and you know people aren't even getting admitted to the hospital but, but the rich people are.
Pami Singh
24:31yeah the hospital charging too much money.
Gurpreet Singh
24:35Oh, even the hospital increase their price.
24:37Oh yes, oh goodness.
Pami Singh
24:40Well, the one lady sick for four days in hospital.
24:44he's she said, four days and they chose one a lot 45,000 rupees for four days.
Gurpreet Singh
24:53One how is how much is one lock is that 1 million.
Pami Singh
24:57No, no one is like a you want to be doing know the dollars.
Gurpreet Singh
25:03dollars or a.
Pami Singh
25:05million.
25:06hundred lock is I think 1 million.
25:09it's it's less than.
Gurpreet Singh
25:11So around hundred or $200,000 around us.
Pami Singh
25:15Less than one.
25:18Maybe $2,000.
25:20or 25,000 yeah.
Gurpreet Singh
25:23By over there, a lock is like.
25:27100,000.
Pami Singh
25:28yeah too much for the poor people's and they charge for body, the body's then they charge money to.
25:36The bodies.
Gurpreet Singh
25:37they're charging money to bear to burn the for people to burn their.
Pami Singh
25:42loved ones bodies around hundred dollar they said because they using people.
25:48For the family members to family members go there and the channel for the PP get.
Gurpreet Singh
25:54The paper you can is the okay protect.
Pami Singh
25:57The claw the the dress they were then they burn the body they charge money for that.
Gurpreet Singh
26:05Oh.
Pami Singh
26:06it's worse, where he was.
Gurpreet Singh
26:07Well that's.
26:10Man that's a very.
26:13that's very sad.
Pami Singh
26:15That he said, people struggling.
Gurpreet Singh
26:18Well i'm happy that you're okay or families okay or family and then gives okay.
26:25Thank you for doing this interview with me very much.
26:28Thank you.
26:29Thanks alright Thank you have a good one.
Pami Singh
26:33Thank you.