“Immediately sanitise the whole office” .”We are in danger”. “We worked on the same file that day”. “He roamed all around the office”. “He sat opposite me that day” — these are the immediate first reaction from various individuals when the news arrived that the octogenarian mother of our senior colleague has passed away with the hospital declaring her as Covid positive few hours before her departure!
Mr S belongs to that rarest of rare species which is fast racing towards extinction in these highly intolerant insensitive times — Gentleman. Hardly can anybody see more soft-spoken well-behaved courteous cooperative egoless person in the society. He is in good terms with everybody.
Recently he was much tensed due to deteriorating health of his mother affected by various nerve related problems. On a Sunday noon, her condition turned very serious for which she was hospitalised. On evening came the report about her Covid-positiveness and on midnight about her passing away.
Passing away of near and dear ones is indeed very tragic. People hold no other option but to accept this hard fact with grieving hearts. But Covid-related death is in a “class of its own” with stringent protocols and hard measures! And this is the reason why Mr S (and his family) failed to have the last glimpse of that lady who had given birth to him and nurtured with maximum possible love care and affection! After all the whole family would have to go to home quarantine with the last rites of the lady coming into the domain of state authorities!
An individual passes away. Immediate and close relatives acquaintances can get the opportunity to bid farewell to him/her in a respectful fashion. And thereafter the ritualistic issues which provide mental satisfaction to the bereaved folks who believe in it. But Mr S will have none of it. When he was expecting the return of mother in a healthier state from hospital; little did he know that his mother is never to return home in permanently-sleeping state also and that he would never again see his mother even!
Can anybody envisage the psychological pain which Mr S is going through coupled with constant consternation how her mother’s mortal remains would be disposed off!
Yet passing away of Mr S’s mother, the psychological devastation of him due to his inability in having the last glimpse of her or danger of their family members also getting infected due to the close proximity with the deceased one form the last things in the minds of people! Instead, by shedding all norms of sensitivity decency, the very colleagues of Mr S are alarmed about their own personal safety in most glaring fashion possible! Far from trying to feel the pain of Mr S, his recent presence in office torment them the most as if he was a “Human Virus” infecting all individuals files seats and corner of office intentionally!
Do they know that in these times of “Unlocked” India when the virus is exposing its deadly fangs, any day any time anybody can find themselves in the shoe of Mr S! And would they enjoy if their colleagues and acquaintances also behave the same!
