BENGALURU : Hola, fellow Bangloreans!
At the cost of sounding like a stuck DVD, I have cleared the toxins from my body, dusted the cobwebs and general ‘meh’ from my brain and I’m back in action. I’m talking my head off nineteen to a dozen, cooking (solely for my family and close friends), working and generally refusing to expose myself to unnecessary viral infections of the third kind! Speaking of unnecessary exposure, I have an allergy to Godmen, new-age gurus, long-haired charlatans in diaphanous flowing robes and crotch-fitting dhotis. Somehow they all have enigmatic smiles and piercing eyes!
I remember, being cajoled by a close friend to spend a day at a ‘giggling guru’s’ ashram. I was bored, uncomfortable and was alarmed to see perfectly intelligent and educated people behaving like members of the Mickey Mouse Club! The discourses were infantile and puerile and often managed by a wily and media savvy sister. Well good luck to the lot, the gullible public and the ‘gurus’.
The whole idea of this background spiel was to give you a glimpse into how one can fit a certain phrase or a word into your consciousness especially when one feels vulnerable. I heard a lengthy discourse (yes, at the insistence of the very same bestie), of a very erudite Godman who (amongst all the other drivel), said that each one of us is responsible for our own health and well-being. Not the doctors, nor other medical professionals or even medication…we were ultimately responsible for our own health and well-being through the choices we make!
During the last month, where my extended family and I went through a terrible emotional and health-wise debilitating phase, the Godman’s words rang true. My sister, brother-in-law and young nephew all tested positive with the dreaded Cardi-V. The irony is that they have a sanitiser factory and operate out of their own 20 acre plot. To say that my sister is paranoid is an understatement. But maybe its corona fatigue or some small breach of protocol that exposed them to this horrendous fate.
I use the word ‘fate’ purposely because whereas the medical community has made marvellous strides in the treatment of this virus it’s the civic authorities and the ruthless ‘men-in-white’ (we know who they are!) who don’t give a rats derriere about the fate of its citizenry; have cornered all the beds, rooms and sundry at all the hospitals. My sister (an army brat and a conscientious citizen) had the sanitising and spraying of her home, buildings and factory premises on her own accord, after getting the entire workforce tested at her expense. No one even asked, no one cares and we are left to take care of ourselves after being lulled into a false sense of security. I contracted dengue and we were all sick…to our stomach where we couldn’t even help each other.
For all the vitriol one can spew on our civic and political entities, there is much to be said about our selfless medical staff. Coming from a family of doctors, I am aware of the level of frustration and risks they go through only to do their ‘dharma and karma’. Two women, both doctors, mothers, daughters and wives go to work every morning in different hospitals helping, nurturing, and being invested in their patients well-being.
Dr Susheela Suresh is brusque and no-nonsense and constantly up-dating herself in latest treatments. She often works 18-hour shifts which don’t end when she goes home. Whereas Dr Sarojini, is kind, generous and will even send food cooked from home to patients who can’t stomach hospital food. Two women committed to curing and caring, selfless and exceptional who I am proud to call friends. These two I know, but there are numerous doctors, interns’ and medical staff like them. Next time you see a shadow on your pillow, kiss it. It may be a doctor, nurse or ward boy.