An employee at a pharmaceutical company in Mumbai in India is dedicating his spare time to dressing up as a clown to spread both joy and an important message about pandemic hygiene.

Dressed in a multi-coloured clown suit, complete with face paint and a rainbow wig, the 37-year-old executive spends his time off disinfecting public spaces, distributing face masks and educating people about COVID-19.

With the help of visual aids and posters, Ashok Kurmi patiently shows kids how to wash their hands and wear face masks correctly.

Over the past year, he has dressed up as Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse, Doraemon and Spiderman.

But he says his clown get-up is the most popular.

So far, Kurmi claims to have sanitized around 200,000 homes in the city and he covers all the expenses himself.

The pandemic has devastated India, infecting more than 30 million people and killing more than 400,000.

An employee with a pharmaceutical company, Ashok took it upon himself to spread not only joy, but also the message of hygiene, social distancing, and the importance of masks, when the pandemic took the country in its grip last March. Dressed in a bright red clown suit, complete with face paint and a rainbow-hued wig, the 37-year-old executive spends his days off disinfecting public spaces, distributing face masks, and spreading awareness about Covid-19.

With the help of visual aids and posters, Kurmi patiently showing the kids how to wash their hands and wear face masks correctly. Over the past year, he has dressed up as Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse, Doraemon, and Marvel superhero Spiderman. But his clown get-up is the most popular. So far, Ashok says he has sanitized around 200,000 houses in the city. Right from conveyance and the masks he distributes to his costume and the charts he makes for the kids, all expenses are borne by him. He spends around 15,000 rupees ($205) a third of his monthly salary for these expenses.

As Mumbai prepares for a third coronavirus wave, his efforts have become even more important. The pandemic has devastated India, infecting over 30 million people and killing more than 400,000.