Hello everyone!
I hope all of you are fine and following the rules of lockdown. Today is the 18th day and we are almost at the end of the initial lockdown period. Although there has been some news about the lockdown being extended in few of the states which are hotspots for the coming up cases still I feel that the government might allow a little restricted movement for economic purposes. The reason why lockdown was sought was to control the spread of this pandemic and avoid overburdening our health care system. The current figures represent that we have been a little successful in what we thought we could achieve from this lockdown but there are certain confounding factors like the lack of testing capacity in most of the states in our country. I hope it all goes according to the plan and with the increasing testing capacity, we are able to control this disease in all of the states like Kerala and Rajasthan. Today's blog is a little special for me as I will be discussing an experience or a feeling which is very close to my heart. Many of you might have heard, read or seen in videos people describing stories we need right now instead of the facts and incidents which are happening nowadays. My blog is a little inspired from the same kind of concept and I'll be discussing a few stories with you which have motivated me in these times. I will be digging up through my personal vault of thoughts to give you an idea of what kind of lives have really inspired me. So let's get to it.
Salomi's tale:
I joined my college in 2017 as a first-year postgraduate and since then have met many inspiring people in this very old and prestigious institution. Many of them excelled in their subjects and most of them excelled in their lives as they were nice to others. Among all of these men and women, I found one person about whom I could say that she is a diamond among others. Some of you might have read my older blogs and might have known about one particular piece which I wrote with the title of 'That Old Lady'. That old lady's name is Salomi. The reason why I am discussing her is, there was a time when I sat with her in a small desk in the administration section of our research institute to ask her that what was the reason which motivated her to come every day on the same bus at the same time to our medical college, despite the fact that she retired almost 15 years ago.
Yes, you read it right. Mrs Salomi has been an employee of St. John's Medical College since its beginnings. She not only has worked there for almost 50 years but has also seen this college flourish from a very small building to a huge institution which boasts of a good ranking in India. The day when I sat with her and discussed the inspiration for working here for so long I found out that there was not much to it because when you see a person who has been working at the same place and the same position for almost five decades you think there might be something special about that position but so is not the case here. She told me that she joined our institution when she was approximately 16 years old under one of the mother superiors. Nuns at that time thaught her what real Christianity was and how she had to follow it through her life no matter what challenges she faced. She described the work in our Medical College as a service to God and humanity. That old lady who has seen almost a century believes that the real God can be reached or achieved when you do charity and do service to humanity.
During her initial two decades of work, she worked without pay because she genuinely believed that if she does good for poor and sick, God will look after her. During those five decades, she lost a son and a few close relatives but still, she would come every day to our college and do her part as a service to this community. At a very meagre salary of 5000 rupees (as she refuses to be paid more than that), she sits at the reception of administration block in our research institute and tries to fulfil all the work which receptionist is supposed to do like providing everyone with a fresh cup of coffee every morning, delivering the files where they are supposed to be and meeting old students who have become professors, wishing them and praying for their success. I feel proud to say that I have been in contact with a very angel-like soul for the past 3 years and feel that there is so much to learn from her than any other book I've ever read. Personally, I do not believe that there is something after death as the subjects which I have read and taught for the past several years teach me the same. But when I sit with her I sometimes feel that there might be something special in this universe which creates such blissful souls. For the past 25 days, I have been in constant worry about her as she fulfils all the criteria for COVID-19 cases. Unfortunately, before lockdown she was a little sick and I could not meet her. If there is a God I believe she will be looked after and I will pretty soon meet her. I really do pray every day that wherever she resides is fine and is in healthy condition.
Yes, you read it right. Mrs Salomi has been an employee of St. John's Medical College since its beginnings. She not only has worked there for almost 50 years but has also seen this college flourish from a very small building to a huge institution which boasts of a good ranking in India. The day when I sat with her and discussed the inspiration for working here for so long I found out that there was not much to it because when you see a person who has been working at the same place and the same position for almost five decades you think there might be something special about that position but so is not the case here. She told me that she joined our institution when she was approximately 16 years old under one of the mother superiors. Nuns at that time thaught her what real Christianity was and how she had to follow it through her life no matter what challenges she faced. She described the work in our Medical College as a service to God and humanity. That old lady who has seen almost a century believes that the real God can be reached or achieved when you do charity and do service to humanity.
During her initial two decades of work, she worked without pay because she genuinely believed that if she does good for poor and sick, God will look after her. During those five decades, she lost a son and a few close relatives but still, she would come every day to our college and do her part as a service to this community. At a very meagre salary of 5000 rupees (as she refuses to be paid more than that), she sits at the reception of administration block in our research institute and tries to fulfil all the work which receptionist is supposed to do like providing everyone with a fresh cup of coffee every morning, delivering the files where they are supposed to be and meeting old students who have become professors, wishing them and praying for their success. I feel proud to say that I have been in contact with a very angel-like soul for the past 3 years and feel that there is so much to learn from her than any other book I've ever read. Personally, I do not believe that there is something after death as the subjects which I have read and taught for the past several years teach me the same. But when I sit with her I sometimes feel that there might be something special in this universe which creates such blissful souls. For the past 25 days, I have been in constant worry about her as she fulfils all the criteria for COVID-19 cases. Unfortunately, before lockdown she was a little sick and I could not meet her. If there is a God I believe she will be looked after and I will pretty soon meet her. I really do pray every day that wherever she resides is fine and is in healthy condition.
Story of Mr. Charles Sebastian:
This is a story of a person who has been working with me for the past 3 years Mr Charles Sebastian. He is a senior technician of our ELISA lab and is a person who has been responsible for helping me out to learn the intricacies of lab tests which are done in our serology section. When I joined my department in my first year I was introduced to sir by my guide. I decided to do my research for the next 3 years on patients admitted with Dengue. Since day one Charles sir and I had that sync in our frequencies which is very rare to achieve. Maybe it was the simplest way with which we both approached problems or maybe because of focused problem-solving nature which I inculcated under him. Usually, you see people just praising and giving credits to the faculty under which they have studied but in my case, it was a little different. As a Microbiologist, I have been trained by many of technical staff. Charles sir played a major role in that. This write-up is not about how he helped me with the department politics and in honing my technical skills to be a good Microbiologist but about his dedication towards his work. He is approximately 60 years old and will soon be retired as he has reached the pinnacle of his job. During the last three years since we have worked here, I have seen him getting involved in most of the activities related to the area for which he is incharge in our laboratory. There were many times when he was a little out of the shape but he would come every day and do the job which he thinks helps people. These are not my words but his. Despite the fact, he has three months of earned leaves with him and the fact that he has a risk factor if he develops COVID-19 disease Mr Charles still comes to the lab and works for the people who are admitted in the hospital. He believes in dedicated and focused service for humanity. So this one day I went and asked him that why was he not enjoying his time at home to which he replied and I quote - "If I get afraid and stop coming to the hospital then who would work in diagnostic laboratories for benefit of the people who are sick. We should come and work with courage and a belief that there is a God who looks after us. I was really amazed by this statement and I would like to say that my respect for him increased many folds when I heard him saying that. Sir, if you read this blog as you usually read all of my work please consider this as a salute to your work and dedication which you have shown and have inspired us for the past 3 years.
These were two of the important stories which I wanted to discuss with you today. The reason why I have discussed these two specific stories is that these are the things which will never come to news or local papers i.e. healthcare workers risk their own life just on a belief that it would benefit someone who is in more need. It will never come to light how people have spent their lives in various medical colleges throughout this country for years and years together to make sure that you get that smile which you have right now while reading this blog. These are the stories which actually matter. These are the people who are angels. These are the kind of stories which we need right now. Apart from this, I had a wonderful two days because I got on track with my final preparation and also ran 10 miles in the evening with a good pace. I would also like to tell that I have further reduced the frequency of my runs as the number of cases in Karnataka are rising. Instead of going on alternate days now I go once in 72 hours for a long run and rest for the next two days making sure that I am not exposed to the current pandemic.
These were two of the important stories which I wanted to discuss with you today. The reason why I have discussed these two specific stories is that these are the things which will never come to news or local papers i.e. healthcare workers risk their own life just on a belief that it would benefit someone who is in more need. It will never come to light how people have spent their lives in various medical colleges throughout this country for years and years together to make sure that you get that smile which you have right now while reading this blog. These are the stories which actually matter. These are the people who are angels. These are the kind of stories which we need right now. Apart from this, I had a wonderful two days because I got on track with my final preparation and also ran 10 miles in the evening with a good pace. I would also like to tell that I have further reduced the frequency of my runs as the number of cases in Karnataka are rising. Instead of going on alternate days now I go once in 72 hours for a long run and rest for the next two days making sure that I am not exposed to the current pandemic.
So this was about my last 48 hours and before I ask you to meet me after another 48 hours I would like to wish all of my readers Happy Easter!
Meet you after 2 days. Be safe.
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