For almost one month now open newspaper in the morning and read gory details of disease and deaths. Switch on TV, the same thing – patients gasping for breath, wailing kin, bodies strewn like hay, burning pyres, tired healthcare professionals, implementors… Pick the phone and there may be a casualty or sickness message. Early morning and late evening ring of phone sends shivers through the spine.

In this pandemic, I have seen at least three close known families getting ruined. The first is Govindo Da, whose wife was the first to die. On 13th day of this death his seven-month pregnant daughter (his only child) died. Now 70 plus year old Govindo da is all alone in this world. The second is Satish Chandra Rai. His mother died. The next day his young son died. A week later his wife died. Terahi of all the three will be held in a few days now. Retired Rai is now left with his pregnant widow in the world. The third is today’s death of Jitendra Chaturvedi, a prominent social worker, always thinking and acting out of box. First, he lost his father. On 13th day of his father’s death, he lost his mother. Seen active till day before yesterday on Facebook, he is no more today.

For me, this day began with my daughter’s message that a young man in her husband’s relation lost his life to corona yesterday. My friend NK Nayak told me this morning’s chat that one of his news reporters lost life to COVID. Then I read that a daughter jumped into the pyre of her father in Barmer. With great effort she was rescued, but by that time she had suffered 70 per cent burns and was rushed to Jodhpur, some 250 km away for treatment. Though no way related or known to me the news shattered me. And then this news of Jitendra. Oh, too much in a day!

In the meantime, father of my son’s friend Shwetank, is going into depression. One morning my son got distress call from his friend, saying his mother needed immediate medical help. And within 15 minutes she needed no medical help. She had passed away. Now Shwetank’s father remains glued to TV and mobile and is not able to sleep properly in the night.

Now when this is the mental frame of us normal people, one can imagine the mental health of doctors and paramedical staff working in COVID hospital, who are seeing so many deaths, many of them because of lack of oxygen, medicines, and resources. No wonder in the days and months to come, we may witness instances of increased depression. Time to be tough to keep mental health intact.

Dear readers, please share your stories in comment section how you are coping with the grief that corona is causing.

Image: Courtesy Laney College Website (https://laney.edu/health_center/mental-health-service/)