Death of Two Friends

Two deaths within the space of two weeks, death of two friends. 

Hundreds of thousands of lives are being lost on a daily basis due to the deadly virus. We are passing through very testing and uncertain times. I have personally lost two good friends.

The world is in the vice-like grip of Coronavirus pandemic. Everyday brings some hope of vanquishing the pandemic or some sort of defense mechanism but the pandemic pulls us back by several steps. For now, we are caught in the Deadly Coronavirus Maze. Only God knows when we will come out of it

One of the two friends who died, MS, was my friend for a long time, our friendship lasting almost for over 30 years. Couple of years ago he had a heart attack and survived it due to timely help of a neighbor who was a medical doctor. 

According to the information I received, MS had a severe breathing problem last week and was admitted to a private hospital. The hospital informed the family that MS tested positive for Covid19. By the next day the hospital declared him dead, of severe pneumonia infection. The appointed agencies cremated the body according to Covid19 protocols.

I was very shocked when I heard the news. Especially because MS was very particular about his health, he was a pure vegetarian. He was dedicated to the daily routine of Surya Namaskar and Pranayama. 

MS and I were colleagues working for the same organization for a few years. From then on we remained friends until the last few years. We both returned back to India after spending over thirty years in the Middle East. 

I was very upset with him a few years ago when I realized his inclination towards certain political and social ideology. It greatly surprised and pained me that of all the people in the world, he could be inclined in his thoughts and ideals with an outfit that had a bunch of very narrow minded, ill educated, megalomaniac and racist persons. These persons are constantly peddling toxic hatred and splitting society in the name of religion, pseudo hyper nationalism and over bloated ethnocentrism. 

I knew MS as an enlightened, evolved, soft spoken, fair and broadminded person. I remember one incidence that had happened while we were in the Middle East. One unfortunate evening, his wife went to the beach along with her friend and their children. It was almost dusk. The sun was setting and the shadows were spreading fast along the sandy beach. It was also time for the fishermen to return to shore with their day’s catch and it was quite usual for businessmen to collect the fish from the fishermen in their vans and trucks. 

Suddenly, MS’s wife saw an SUV coming towards them at a great speed. By the time she reacted, it was too late. She tried to get up, screaming and pushing her friend and the children to safety. Unfortunately, the front fender of the SUV caught her face. Her face was bloody and mangled.

The Arab who was driving the SUV did not run away from the scene. He picked up the injured lady, put her in his vehicle and took her to the hospital. The police asked MS if he intended to file a case against the Arab. MS replied that there was no need to file a case as it was an accident. Moreover, he was thankful to the Arab gentleman for bringing his wife to the hospital on time, without any delay. That was good enough for the police. 

The Arab was quite moved by the gesture of MS. If he had filed a case it could have meant jail time for manslaughter and even a hefty fine. After that, the Arab visited the hospital everyday until the lady was discharged from the hospital. The doctors who attended to the injuries, did an excellent job in restoring the lady’s face.

In short that was a brief testimony of MS’s character. He believed in fairness and the spirit of “live and let live”. The fact that such a person had fallen a victim to the deception of a bunch of vile characters, came as a big surprise for me. Since then I consciously kept a distance from him and almost lost touch with him. It is a painful reality of the times we are living in, when selfish, egoistic, ill educated, power hungry politicians are splitting communities, families and friends apart.

Another friend, VJ, died this morning. He was battling infection in his lungs for the past few months. I met him only three years ago but it feels like I knew him for a long time. It is quite ironic that just yesterday my friends and I met each other in a virtual meeting room. We belong to the same BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) community. The meeting was quite conspicuous by the absence of VJ. One of the members informed us that the condition of VJ was not good, that he was on a heavy dose of painkillers.

This morning we received the sad news that VJ had died. I think the shock was lessened because of the information we received yesterday. Yet, I can't help the feeling of a heavy heart. 

Although I have known VJ briefly for a couple of years, he was one of the best human beings, very humble, righteous and down to earth. He was such a family oriented person that he took the difficulties he had with his company as an opportunity to resign and accompany his daughter to few overseas educational engagements. He was quite upbeat about the trip and the places he visited and the people he had met. It is quite unbelievable that he is no more. 

Incidentally, both MS and VJ shared the same nature. Both were ever jovial, down to earth, cool minded, and full of wit and humour and both were in the field of Information Technology. They had a funny thing to say or recount a funny incidence, whatever the circumstances may be. 

I have lost two wonderful persons during this pandemic. May their souls rest in peace!

You Are On Your Own

It was just another day, as any other, of reading news of human helplessness at fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic. One particular story was no different from the dozens of sad stories that are reported on a daily basis on news media or shared on social media. The heart rending story of the struggle of common man in finding medical help, the story of despair of our health system.

In short, a young man went from one hospital to another trying to find urgent medical help for his sick father. Wherever he went, he was turned away and was told to try elsewhere. As the oxygen was running out of the cylinder in the ambulance, the man even tried to resuscitate his father, but that didn't help. Finally, the father was declared dead as the day was breaking. The ordeal didn't end there. When he tried to find a place for his father's body in a mortuary, he couldn't find one. With the help of some friends, the family preserved the body on ice. Finally, when all the arrangements were made, they cremated the body.

This story was exceptional because a man posted a video on YouTube sharing his story of horror, helplessness and desperation.

We can very well understand how much one would be shaken up on losing a parent. Even during those grieving moments, the man decided to create a video and shared details of the ordeal he and his family went through, for hours together, in trying to get medical attention for his father. They went from one hospital to another without much success, finally his father succumbed to his illness. 

As he explains his story, we can relate hundreds and thousands of similar cases the country has been witnessing for the past few months.

But the exceptional thing about this video is, without blaming anyone, the man coveys some very important messages: Please stop taking your health for granted. Please ensure that you take care of yourselves and your family.Protect yourselves. Be safe. We pray that no other family or child is put in such a situation. Please ensure that you take care of yourselves and your family.

This story and many such stories raise many questions.

• Why have we reached such a situation where we cannot find medical help when it is needed?
• Has this pandemic exposed the utter weakness, unpreparedness and helplessness of our healthcare system?
• This is not the first time the world has faced a pandemic or a warlike emergencies. Was our health care system prepared with expertise and resources needed to tackle the epidemic?
• This "Deadly Microscopic Thing" was not home grown, it was brought from outside through international travelers. Were enough controls in place to stop it at the ports of entry itself?
• Even after discovering few cases, did we do enough to tackle and contain it when the number of cases was controllable?

I don't know the answers to these questions and I would certainly not want to speculate on the answers. But one thing I know, "we are on our own".

It is time to think that we are back to the centuries, in a huge village with very limited medical services, the village doctor located very far away from our places. Let us think that we may or may not get the limited medical help promptly when it is needed. 

It is time to get back to "Grandma's Nuska (recipe)". It is time to get back to the time tested "home remedies". 

Above all, there never was a time than now, to become humble and prostrate to our creator. It is time to pray for yourself, your family that are near and far. 

Pray as you have never prayed before for God's mercy! We certainly need it now like we never needed before!

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Media Report: https://newsmeter.in/banjara-hills-man-denied-admission-by-6-hospitals-dies-in-transit/ 

Video: https://youtu.be/wp_6rx7tD1U

Temporarily Closed for Prevention

Washington Post reported today that the state of Alabama, US, was in the grip of Coronavirus (Washington Post Report). Seventeen thousand positive cases were recorded in the last week. The streets, parks, amphitheater, movie theaters, almost every place looked deserted.

I usually go through the comments section of YouTube media reports and videos, just to know reactions of readers. Most often than not, you can find some incredible, interesting gems. Of course there are some lost, desperate souls who spew out their toxic narratives, innuendos and expletives. I simply ignore them.

One reader made a word play on the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by changing part of lyrics "I'm coming home" to "I ain't coming home"! I am sure he was just trying to be funny.

Another reader felt happy about the restrictions being followed by the state. Another lamented that even young kids were not being spared by the deadly virus. There was one grim observation that life will not be the same again because of Coronavirus. 

But what caught my attention in the news report was the notice posted by a movie theater. I have come across establishments usually posting "Closed for Renovation" notices. But this notice read "Temporarily Closed for Prevention".

The notice expressed two things. The word "Temporarily" expressed a positive attitude that "we shall be back soon", a hope that "we shall prevail, we shall win over the virus very soon". 

And the word "Prevention", most probably a word play on "Renovation", stressed the importance of taking every possible measure to keep oneself safe and prevent Coronavirus from spreading. It is quite heartening that the establishment, instead of lamenting about the losses that would be incurred due to closure of the movie house, gave importance to saving lives. Their priorities seemed to be in the right place. 

What is the use if you have gained money but lost your life!

Coronavirus has definitely turned our lives upside down, for good or bad. While there could be many positive outcomes, the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives is heartbreaking. Many families cannot even do proper "last rites" to their dead loved ones. All they could do is give a tearful, heart breaking farewell from a distance. The state agencies are disposing the bodies according to prescribed standards to prevent spread of the epidemic. It is quite heart rending to even read about these sad stories.

No one can say, for certain, for how long this deadly virus is going to ravage our lives. Every day brings in a new theory, a new finding, some scary, some positive and many in conflict with previous findings or theories.

But all through these gloomy times, there is a silver lining. It is not the first time that the world has faced a pandemic. Every time, the world fought and won the battle. That reality gives us the confidence that we too shall overcome these difficult times. It is just a matter of time before they found a definite cure. Until then, we have to be patient, careful, wiser and above all, be hopeful. 

After all, hope is what keeps the world turning.