Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli start fundraiser for Covid-19, donate INR20 million

The latest celebrities to extend a helping hand are Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma and her cricketer husband Virat Kohli who have kickstarted a Covid-19 relief campaign aimed at providing help to those who are badly impacted by coronavirus.

The celebrity duo are aiming to raise Rs. 7 crores for coronavirus relief in India through their fundraising campiagn ‘#InThisTogether’. The couple has already donated Rs. 2 crores for this initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, the actress said that India is going through an extremely difficult time and the second wave of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, which has pushed the country towards a state of crisis.

“It is time for all of us to come together and do our bit for our fellow countrymen who are in serious need for support. Virat and I have been hugely pained looking at the inexplicable suffering that people are going through and we hope that this fund will aid in our fight against the virus that we are all helplessly witnessing. We are praying for everyone’s safety. We hope that you join us in our prayers to save as many lives as possible because we are all in this together,” she said.

Virat Kohli said that India is going through an unprecedented time in the history and it is the need of time to stay united and help as many people as possible.

We are starting this fundraiser with the confidence that we will be able to raise substantial funds to aid those in dire need. We are confident that people will come forward to support fellow countrymen in crisis. We are in this together and we shall overcome this.”

As our country battles the second wave of Covid-19, and our healthcare systems are facing extreme challenges, it breaks my heart to see our people suffering.

So, Virat and I have initiated a campaign #InThisTogether, with Ketto, to raise funds for Covid-19 relief. pic.twitter.com/q71BR7VtKc

— Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) May 7, 2021

India’s current Covid wave has taken on frightening proportions, driven in part by a new variant of the virus which has double mutations. Earlier this week, India overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of cases in the world, behind the USA. Experts are concerned that given the low testing rate, India possibly has higher number of cases than either US or Brazil.

On Friday, the country reported almost 414,188 cases and 3,915 deaths. Real numbers could be much higher, with crematoriums and graveyards both running out of space across the country.