Around six months ago, Nagpur's Irshad Ahmed, 37, was hailed a hero after winning the International Carrom Federation Cup at Pune's PYC Hindu Gymkhana in December. Today, he is struggling to make ends meet, as his only source of income, his autorickshaw, has not been plying for over two-and-a-half months due to the Coronavirus-caused lockdown.

No income since March

"I used to earn around R600 daily by driving my auto but due to the lockdown, no one is travelling, so I have no income. My savings are exhausted. Somehow, I am managing to survive with my family thanks to some generous friends and relatives,"