Coming together to fill the gaps in an inequitable crisis: A story from the second wave of COVID-19 in India. When will things get back to normal? A question we have asked since COVID-19 hit us in 2020. Who imagined it would last for more than a year, and return in waves as deadly as the second wave in India, which was nothing less than a nightmare. Practically every family was suffering, grieving, pleading; anxiously looking for hospital beds, oxygen, ambulances and basic help. There were many without access to technology who could not even reach out. This disquieting story arises from our participation in an informal collective that mushroomed as civil society’s voluntary response to the crisis surrounding us.