A cry of helplessness: How the tragedy that was the migrant exodus unfolded Vilaap, a new documentary, tells the story of how last yearâs mismanaged lockdown unleashed a humanitarian disaster in India. 19 Apr, 2021 The national lockdown imposed by the Indian government early last year caused untold pain and suffering, not least for migrant workers who, suddenly left without an income or a support system, were compelled to leave cities for their villages and small towns, often walking hundreds of miles on foot. It was the largest mass migration in India since the Partition and we decided to tell the heartbreaking stories of some of the migrants to understand how government mismanagement and apathy had unleashed a humanitarian disaster atop of a public health crisis.