ANANTAPUR: Gudipalli Somasekhar, a Fine Arts student from Anantapur, who had taken up a campaign promoting wearing of face masks and sanitising hands in over 100 villages of Anantapur and even in neighbouring Karnataka during the first wave of the virus, had contracted the virus. In the initial days of treatment at the Bathalapalli RDT, he was shocked and aghast to see the plight of patients and people dying in front of his eyes.
He, however, gathered courage and is once again using his innate talent to create awareness among the people about usage of face masks and sanitising hands from the Covid-19 Care Centre itself. Using social media, Somasekhar has been drawing paintings depicting the importance of using mask and other Covid-19 Appropriate Behaviour.
He toured around 52 villages in Anantapur and 48 in Karnataka propagating the importance of wearing a face mask and social distancing through his wall paintings and was appreciated by the local administrations. He painted 250 wall paintings in a span of 16 days in the villages. His efforts were even appreciated by union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju and also corona warriors international honour. The Rural Development Trust based in Anantapur too displayed his painting in international fora.
The 26-year-old tested positive for the virus on May 12 and was shifted to the RDT Hospital at Battulapalle initially. “I saw the plight of the patients and I too felt nervous in the initial days. I started painting about the situation at the hospital in my notebook. Later, I started painting to relieve mental stress,’’ he said.
Later on, Somasekhar started painting the services rendered by the doctors and the appreciation the healthcare workers were receiving from the patients and their attendants. When he was shifted to quarantine centre at RDT Sports Stadium in Anantapur, he started painting in a way that the other patients get inspired and get moral support.
“I started painting pictures depicting the importance of wearing a face mask and social distancing and posting it in social media. One can keep himself or herself away from getting infected by adhering to CAB,” Somasekhar, who was discharged from the hospital on Saturday, said.