ENCAGED By Ridham Preet

ENCAGED

By Ridham Preet

With social media already flooded with COVID-19 stuff, I promise not to talk of stats.

I am writing today as my heart ached on seeing the live telecast from Sri Harmandir Sahib . My heart ached, when barely a person was seen in the usually never ending queue. It should not have come as a shock for this is what is expected of everybody in such times of crisis, but still. Who would have ever imagined that we will have to pay back in such a way, for the harm we’ve already done?

Mistakes have been made and regrets have been felt and now it is the time to do what is demanded of us in order to flatten the rising curve.

Stay home and cherish every moment you get to spend with your loved ones for this lockdown has shaken us up and shown us that we’re dependant on something much bigger than we think.

Appreciate the luxury we live in, the abundance of products, freedom, health and realize what all we’ve been taking for granted. Forever keep this in mind that these are the times when the affected, dying patients did not get to even meet their loved ones. Their loved ones did not get to perform the last rites as required. So stay home, and be thankful that you are safe and your loved ones are safe. Look at this as an opportunity to exercise, pray, find a hobby, binge to watch series, write – best time to write , whatever it may be your feelings, emotions, insecurities, special moments. Just pen them down and trust me you’ll feel accomplished.

And take a moment to appreciate our health care workers fighting this pandemic in the forefront, amidst all the unfortunate stories of violent attacks on our doctors in recent past.
Imagine the plight of the family members of a health worker right now, who return to their home every day with a guilt in mind that it’s highly likely that ‘they’ would be responsible if any of their family member gets the virus. My heart-felt condolences, for all those health workers, who have lost their lives, by risking their lives, to save our lives. And all we are asked to do is sit on that couch for few more days.

For the people who are still posting their outing pictures proudly I hope you don’t have to live with the guilt of infecting somebody else .

Probably the only silver lining here is that Mother Nature is not experiencing, what I would call cyanotic spells. It is breathing again and healing, after hell of a time.

For ages humans have encaged birds and animals and now they’ve come out to breath in this clear air, when humans are now ENCAGED!

Writer is Ridham Preet Final Prof. MBBS SGRD, Medical Uni. Amritsar, Punjab. The views expressed by her are personal.