TIRUCHY: Battling COVID is not just about fighting the disease, it's also about fighting perceptions and stigma. While many want to forget the experience, for Poet and writer Manushyaputhiran, it is a turning point in his life. He says that he has learnt a lot about life in his six days at the Corona ward.
The usually cheerful poet says that his world stopped for a few minutes when he tested positive for COVID 19 on July 16. He had been under treatment at a private hospital in Tiruchy. He was discharged on Tuesday.
"I had fever for four days and then had cough too, post which I got tested for COVID. Even though I have spoken about the disease and written about it, when I got the result positive, I was shell shocked for about two hours. It was the support of my family and friends that helped me get to the hospital. I was very afraid because I had a heart surgery just four months back,"
However, once he was in the hospital, the dedication of the doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers gave him the feeling that he would be able to fight the disease. He posted about testing positive on social media and wrote poems daily. He says he did this to remove the social taboo that exists about this virus.
"Being a public figure, I felt that it was my responsibility to share my experiences. There is so much fear and taboo in people's minds. They totally isolate people who get Covid-19 and ignore them, which leads to depression. It is the support of your family, friends, and doctors that can help you tide through this, medical treatment is secondary. The first battle is of the mind,"
The poet also wants to highlight the problems faced by the differently-abled. Without an attendee, even going to the toilet is a big challenge for them in a COVID ward.
While Manushyaputhiran was angry about this, he says that an incident completely changed his outlook.
"When I saw the doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers working for 8 hours in the PPE, it was heartbreaking. The news of a young doctor dying by suicide in Chennai just moved me. I decided that I would not complain about anything but support the doctors instead. They are all in so much stress, we should all co-operate with them,"
He also says that being inside a COVID ward is different, and commenting about it from outside is easy.
"I have learned that tolerance, love, and care can help you fight half the battle. It was the support of my readers, family, party that kept my morale high and led to my fast recovery." As Manushyaputhiram is also a DMK speaker, the party leader MK Stalin was speaking to him over the phone on a daily basis.