Unsparingly – COVID

Unsparingly – COVID

Just three weeks ago, even with the whole world reeling under the onslaught of the pandemics, it seemed so distant from you and me. It was a news item to be read, discussed and dismissed from one’s mind. It was unreal enough for us to think of it as the neighbor’s problem, which we witnessed, commented on, maybe even had a thing or two to suggest, but one that stayed beyond the compound. It may be all over the world and in the door next to mine. But certainly no concern of mine. I still went to work, attended to all my social calling and even went to public programs- albeit with a mask on. The mask was conveniently discarded I the office.

That was until my daughter Neenu called up about twelve days ago. She had news. Her son, my grandson Ethan had fever, what more it was the Corona Virus. So finally, through pathways known or unknown, the virus had found a way into my house too. What I knew was a real danger, but my mind just couldn’t accept had finally manifested itself. The child was down with fever, and it was not long before he passed it on to his mother. The course was clear, and the sufferings it entails. Neenu and Ethan had contracted the pandemic and truly down with fever. My son-in-law, Jiby was left with the onerous task of taking care of the family’s needs including cooking and cleaning. He was also in no possible position to attend work. In the words of my grandson, “this is horrible, utterly horrible. If it were visible I would have kicked the life out of him”.

This was when we were informed that the inevitable had happened. He was struck too, leaving the entire family in a hapless position. Her in Trivandrum, we the parents could only imagine their plight and be able to do nothing at all about it. We imagined the difficulty that the family with a small child were suffering.

Until on Thursday 29^th of January, it came home. My wife Beena had fever, which heightened by middle of the night. The alarm bells rang in our minds. We ran a check using the mobile kit and our worst fears were realized. We did a more professional test proved us right. Fortunately though, my test results yielded a negative. If we had imagined the misery at my daughter’s home, we realised that our worst guesses was no match for reality. Living in the same house, we have to communicate with each other over mobile phone.  We live off ordered food that will be delivered to the security desks. It will eventually be left at our front door and we will then be intimated. Almost all our neighborhood had closed doors and the numbers of infected people were on the rise every day. Today I ventured into the kitchen to try my hand at cooking. From washing the dishes to cleaning the kitchen counter was itself a cumbersome task. The cooking that followed and the final clean up – one realise what a tough ask the chores at home are – one suddenly realizes that it is way more than what men make it out to be.

But to top it all off, was the fact that, the world was now available to us in reality only from the balconies of our flat. Socially isolated, professionally disable and literally lockup in our own homes. Mankind today learns with real hopelessness that if it can hit someone far way or your friend next door, it can hit you. More likely it will. The mobile phone today is the only link with the world around. And yet there are those that are the unstricken who think that they are and will stay spared. I just have one word for them, this disease is like no other. It will creep in through your defenses and will strike you with no mercy. Precaution and prevention are the only ways out and no inoculation can keep you truly protected