Infected Relations Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

 

Infected Relations

Author: Dr. K.S. Kang

Corona had not only infected the body but even the thinking, mind and relations too. Harish was a scribe concerned with the local section of a national newspaper. As over the years he had become a sort of whistle blower in the town, so most of the official were afraid of him and tried to avoid him. Though they respected him but this respect was out of fear rather than affection. Rather it was to appease his destructive and nuisance value. It was Harish’s job to go to number of places in town including hospital, clinics and even covid care centres to get the events and happenings for his newspaper as a result of it he was infected by this deadly virus one day. At first he did not pay much attention to it taking it to be common cough and cold which will go with time but when the symptoms persisted he gave his sample for RTPCR test and was confirmed positive. The same day the vehicle of Medical and Health Department stopped in front of his house and out of it came three or four people who could not be recognized easily as they were wearing PPE kits, masks and gloves. They took him and immediately put him on oxygen. Where Harish was admitted was the same place that he had visited frequently earlier also and perhaps he got infection from this place during his last visit a few days ago. Before coming to hospital Harish was leading a perfectly normal life of a middle class man with his wife and two children- one son and one daughter.

Suddenly in the middle of that fateful night oxygen supply was disrupted and Harish was unable to breath on his own and he collapsed in the early hours of the morning. His wife and children were afraid to go near him for the fear of getting themselves infected though they had tried to avoid him the moment he tested positive and was admitted to hospital. It was a strange situation in which a person’s life partner and his kids, who were his own blood and flesh were afraid to go near him. His body was lying wrapped in the plastic bag unattended in the verandah of the hospital.

Kansa Ram was posted to this town as City Magistrate a few months ago. His modus operandi was that he used to visit some government office early in the morning suddenly the moment it opened without any prior information or notice. His predecessor while giving him charge and warned him of journalists like Harish who may tarnish his image out of selfish and petty motive. That day Kansa Ram decided to visit the hospital where Harish’s body was lying unattended. He took his friend Sub-Inspector Nikhil Chand with him. When he saw the body of Harish lying unattended in the verandah of the hospital he enquired about it. Hospital authorities informed him that hospital was ready to hand over the body for funeral but his own children and wife were shirking to come near him and carry his body to the waiting ambulance. For some time Kansa Ram looked at the lady and two children standing at the door of the hospital. Then he looked towards Nikhil Chand and ordered hospital authorities to bring masks, PPE Kits and gloves at once. Donning PPE Kits and masks both Kansa Ram and Nikhil Chand carried the body to the waiting ambulance and asked the lady and children at the entrance of the hospital to reach the funeral ground and leaving their official vehicle at the hospital they came into ambulance in order to supervise that the body of Harish is disposed off in a proper and dignified manner strictly according to the Covid guidelines while his wife and children were watching the proceedings from the gate of the funeral ground.