Be Positive

Many years back, my mother was hospitalized for sudden breathlessness. It was her first hospitalization in life and our family, experiencing for the first time such eventuality was totally clueless. The hospital, one of the best in the locality had to urgently shift her to a ventilator. I, the lone bystander 24 x 7 loitering around the hospital was told for the next one week by every doctor visiting her that she is “Stable on support”.

Like the discovery of water on the moon, the news of some fluid found in one of her lungs on the 8^th day brought smile on our faces. Our well-wishers explained to us what a ventilator is and consoled us that it is not the end of the journey of life.

Positivity is not always absolute. It could also be a ray of hope or silver lining in a dark cloud. The presence of an infection in the lung is not at all a positive news but the discovery of the same in a patient on ventilator for a week definitely is. It is not the news itself but our perception about it that makes it positive or negative.

It is said there are lies, damned lines and there is statistics. We all have been watching, reading and listening to different statistics, predictions and prophecies about the current and future situation of Covid infections, deaths and recoveries in India. Socially, geographically and culturally, India is so diverse. It is incorrect to compare India with any other country of the world some of which are smaller than many states or even districts of India. Even the Social Determinants of Health are different across the states of India.  

Any political party in India is or made out to be self-serving. This coupled with the lethargy of the system has always been the bane of the country whose first preference is not always the welfare of the people.  But it is found that during these testing times the central and state governments, irrespective of their hues and political ideologies have largely worked in unison. Of course, the situation is unprecedented and there are no ready templated solutions. Nevertheless, it is always easy to pinpoint the shortcomings.

Adversities are sometimes good. It makes us pause, take a deep breath, re look and take corrective action. It is said, if you are not a part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. Let’s be positive and be a part of the solution.

After discharge from hospital, during a follow up, the doctor once commented. Though we did everything possible to save your mother, it is her sheer grit, optimism and the relentless urge to bounce back to life aided her recovery!

Mothers are always unique. No matter whether she is mine, yours, mother India or Mother Earth, whatever be her suffering, all she can return is pure love. Her days on ‘ventilator’ are limited and she will bounce back with her full vigor.

Did someone say year 2020 is bad? Listen to the words of Mirza Galib by one of my favorite singers Late Sri Jagjit Singh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ZusnFG1bg