COVID Diary: Myth surrounding the virus more fatal than the virus itself, writes Arunabha Bhattacharjee

July 15: With a renewed zeal my fight started – But, what am I supposed to fight against, I asked myself. My Medical parameters as informed by the dedicated doctors and staff of the hospital was fine and as such I did not have any physical discomfort. As to my mental frame, well, I leave that to be decided by my readers. So, what am I supposed to tussle with? What was it that gave me a creepy feeling?

I sat down brooding…just then my son called me and said “Papa why did the aunty living in the next building and having her window adjacent to ours close it on my face and has not opened it till now?” Though I tried to avoid his question, I got my answer. My fight was not against the virus in my body but in my mind. The virus it seems has not affected the body but the mind.

While the scientists across the world and India are relentlessly striving to save mankind from this pandemic by inventing vaccines and medicines, while young and dedicated doctors like, Dr. Debadutta Chanda, Dr. Rajat Deb, Dr. Juri Sarma, Dr. Prasenjit Ghosh, Dr. Arpita and many others like them under the able leadership of their superiors and guidance of brilliant and dynamic officers like our Hon’ble Deputy Commissioner Cachar, Madam Keerti Jalli and her team, are burning the midnight oil to not only give solace and comfort to the patients, but also put up a brave fight against the virus, ‘we’, yes, ‘we’, the common people who constitute the society are, in my opinion, not playing our part. John F. Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

I don’t have any qualms in saying that I have not done my part, as a citizen of this country, and as a teacher, in trying to dislodge the myth surrounding the disease. Without our knowledge, the virus has affected the mind more than the body. The need of the hour therefore is to find out means and ways to invent a vaccine for the mind, to devise a strategy by which we can help ourselves and the people around us to get rid of the obstacles that have led to an ostracized mentality and a society regulated ‘stigma’ regarding the disease.

Every time the phone rings up, we hear – FIGHT THE AILMENT, NOT THE AILING – but unfortunately we do not pay heed to it. During the last three days, I was fortunate, I would say, to interact with a cross-section of patients, who narrated how their families were being harassed by ‘us’, by the society. Vegetable vendors, milk man, helping hands were warned not to visit the families, for the simple reason that they had undergone a Covid test. In some cases, a mere test undergone by someone leads him/her and his/ her entire family being boycotted by the society. This is the scenario not only in the rural areas but in the very heart of Silchar town, populated by ‘elite’ class of people.

I have confessed to have failed in my duty and I think my friends and colleagues would agree with me that now it’s time for us to come forward and try to dispel the myth surrounding the virus, while focusing on the need to prevent it and protect ourselves from it. I don’t intend to blame the society, for I am a part of it. It is time that we take a clue from the noble endeavour like “Aastha” which aims at providing mental support to not only the patients and their families, but people at large. The need of the hour is to form a dedicated team who would voluntarily work towards achieving this goal.

I remember the lines of Tagore: “Where the mind is without fear..and the head is held high……where the clear stream of reason has not lost it’s way in to the dreary desert sand of dead habits…where the mind is led forward by thee…Into that heaven of freedom, my father…Let my country awake” (Gitanjali). The mind, the mind set needs a change. As responsible citizens, it is our duty to come forward and fight so that we can “awake”, into a Covid free world.

Also Read: COVID Diary: Footsteps at SM Dev Civil Hospital, writes Arunabha Bhattacharjee

Mrs. Moumita Gupta of way2barak was kind enough to ask me to share my thoughts. This made me to pen down my feelings for way2barak). Next episode on 16 July, 2020.

** Arunabha Bhattacharjee, is an Assistant Professor, Department of English, Radhamadhab College, Silchar. He tested COVID-19 positive on 12 July, 2020 and is now undergoing treatment at SM Dev Civil Hospital, Silchar. He is asymptomatic and his condition is stable.