This refers to your cover story Life And Death In The Time Of Corona (May 11). For centuries, despite the travails and tribulations of everyday life, the ‘show’ kept going on. However, not any longer. The present circumstances have abruptly forced us to come to terms with a new kind of life in which, irrespective of society, we are living a solitary existence. As Greek scholar Aristotle noted, man is by nature a social animal. But now, even momentous events like births and deaths have to remain not only subdued, but also devoid of all markers of human emotions. The disease has thrown established norms out of the window. Things become more painful at the time of bereavement. Grief has always been a personal journey, but withholding the storm brewing in is leaving individuals scarred for life. For as they say, grief shared is halved, joy shared is doubled.
Vijai Pant, On E-Mail
No one can fight against fate, no one can see beyond the present and no one can change the course of stars. Birth and death are part of a cycle, like day and night. It is a universal truth that one starts after the end of the other. Mahatma Gandhi rightly said that birth and death are not two different states, but different aspects of the same state. This is the time to realise this bitter truth. COVID-19 puts us all in the same examination hall and tests what we have learnt till now in life. Love, respect, tolerance, kindness and trust are the subjects of the question paper. Remember the words of Mufasa in The Lion King, “We are all connected in the great circle of life.”
Mahendra Singh, Jind
Those who lost their near and dear ones were never as helpless as during the lockdown. Public transport is not functional and even many of those with private transport could not attend funerals. Rishi Kapoor’s daughter was in Delhi when her father breathed his last in Mumbai. She obtained a travel pass from Delhi authorities and journeyed by road in her car, but could not reach Mumbai in time for a last glimpse of her departed father. Death is the only inevitable and eternal truth of mortals. Medical science can delay it for a while, but nothing can prevent it. Saint Kabir aptly said, One who has born has to die, whether a king, commoner or beggar. The grief of being away from near and dear ones at such moments hurts for a long time. It will take time before a vaccine is developed, so COVID-19 is here to stay. We have to learn to live with the disease.
M.C. Joshi, Lucknow
This refers to Thank You, Nurse (May 4). I am a doctor. Each day brings with it new angst coupled with multifaceted fears. “Unprecedented” has been used so often that I no longer take cognisance of it. The mental and physical exhaustion among my colleagues is palpable. Some patient interactions leave you feeling disheartened and with a sense of impending doom. Many of us had initially mistaken this deadly virus for something far less severe. We were wrong. This pandemic has surpassed any knowledge previously instilled in me despite having practiced medicine for over a decade now in both developed and developing countries. Donning and doffing PPE is not something I find comfortable despite performing this terrible task with every shift. The way to do this is modified almost every hour, which adds to my inner turmoil. We were warned that the days to come would not be easy, but my apprehension is that the worst is yet to come. Is this the calm before the storm? Like almost everything at the moment, I do not know. Numerous countries around the globe are in lockdown, yet the curve is not flattening. It is a matter of time before we see the dire consequences that will follow—crime, domestic violence, spiralling divorce rates, mental health emergencies, the non-COVID-19 illnesses and deaths that we clinicians will miss. And this, I surmise, is only the beginning. My brain reinforces that the lockdown will have to be extended and more stringent measures will be needed. Alas, it is merely a matter of time before I am infected. It is not an ‘if, but a ‘when’.
Natasha Dole, Oxford
When the intrepid mayor of Mumbai, Kishori Pednekar, adorned her nurse uniform once again to motivate the second- and third-year nursing students deployed at Nair Hospital and said that it was her responsibility as a mayor to serve COVID-19 patients, she brought laurels to this sacred job. She had served as a nurse at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Hospital for over 10 years. We need to respect nurses and paramedical staff, not just doctors and health experts. In the fight against the deadly pandemic, nurses must not be treated as second-class health workers. In our caste-based society, nursing is considered low on the rung of occupations. But it’s time to go beyond the divisions of caste, class and religion and recognise the importance of nurses.
Rakesh Agrawal, Dehradun
This refers to Scourge Of Unscience (May 4). These scientists are rendering a great service to the nation by busting fake narratives circulating on social media platforms. India needs more such people. With the ubiquity of cellphones, fake narratives spread like wildlife, often at the behest of our leaders, who should be acting otherwise. As the public scrambles for information on the virus, false prophets claim they have an answer. In these times of fear, anxiety and uncertainty—with a cure months, if not years, away—such claims sadly gain traction among the gullible public. The solution does not lie in clapping or zapping with laser waves, but in laying our trust in science. As of now, faith in science and not in myths or anecdotal evidence is the best weapon we have to understand and deal with the virus. The government must heed scientific evidence and not propound ancient myths.
H.N. Ramakrishna, Bangalore
This refers to your cover story Ration State (April 13). Along with the ‘health pandemic, we also need to take the ‘hunger pandemic’ seriously. Hunger is already part of everyday life for the poor. True, it exists far more acutely in certain parts of the world, but it exists in varying levels everywhere. There is dehumanising poverty in our country too. Hunger persists despite overflowing granaries and our extensive public distribution system. The pandemic has given it more visibility. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the pandemic could double the number of people facing acute hunger and push about 265 million people to the brink of starvation by the end of the year. Swift intervention is imperative to avert mass starvation deaths. We must help WFP raise sufficient funds to feed the hungry and save their lives. In the long run, the underlying causes of hunger too must be tackled.
David Milton, Maruthancode
From The Nest Letter from Kishore Kumar to Satyajit Ray that his son, Sandip Ray, unearthed at the director’s house on Bishop Lefroy Road, Calcutta. Amit Kumar, Kishore Kumar’s son, said Ray had probably agreed to go to Mumbai in December that year. The song Ami Chini Go Chini was recorded for Charulata (1964), a film based on Tagore’s Nastanirh (The Broken Nest).
