"Moma-pappa...the exams are now over. It's time for some fun now. You remember your promises right"? Rahul asked in a delighted tone, throwing his school bag aside.
"Oh yeah, the way you have
thrown your bag seems like you are going to top the class this time," moma said
with an abnormal smile.
"From bottom na" pappa
added with a poker face.
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Rahul has always been very close to his parents. Though every child in the world is, Rahul was even more. Reason being the only child in the family who was suffering from blood cancer since he was in class 6th. His parents have been caressing him and making him feel like the 'healthiest' kid in the world since then. Following loads of divine care and pamper, Rahul finally got himself out of the trap of the fatal disease in class 11th. These 6 years, the most daunting years in his life brought him so close to his parents that he became abnormally attached to them. Earlier, he couldn't spend a day without them...but, as his psychological condition deteriorated with time, he started finding it really hard to be away from them even for few hours.
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Post the COVID19 outbreak, though
his parents had kept him emotionally well stiff, the news of people dying
with the virus was somehow making Rahul perturbed deep in. Inner thoughts
of him, losing his parents, was making him more worried every passing day. He
got a deep sigh of relief one day when he got to know that it's the older
people and especially those with co-morbidities who are at grave risk of losing
their lives and, younger or middle-aged people are at no or somehow lesser risk.
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Following the recent developments in determining the category of people at maximum risk, the govt. came up with the vaccination guidelines putting the frontline workers, doctors and the OLD-AGED(OA) people at top risk and, thus put them at the top of the priority list of people to get vaccinated.
Rahul's grandparents, whom he wasn't attached much with for many reasons, got their second and final dose of vaccine this Friday.
Though not fully, but they somehow had developed a stronger shield to fight
the virus.
When the OA people had got two
jabs of vaccine, the middle-aged (MA) ones - like that of the age of most of our
parents hadn't got a single dose of it. The govt. while making the priority
list for vaccination had seen the MA people having a natural shield to fight
the virus. Though, this decision, taken by the govt. didn't seem much working and had catastrophic results for thousands of families all around India.
In the second wave of Covid19
this year in India, we all are aware of the fact that thousands of MA people have lost
their lives and left their families behind in utter despair, infinite grief
and penury (in some cases). The govt. indeed has succeeded in reducing the deaths
in OA people, but has fallen on his mouth in doing the same with the MA,
in fact, their death rate has exponentially increased in the past few months.
| Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash |
I want you to imagine a situation
- "what if the MA people also got vaccinated along with others
(specifically the OA) in the beginning only! Had thousands of children lost
their mother/father/both in that case? Had their careers destroyed and smile gone permanently away from their faces in that case? "NO" is the obvious answer for all the above
questions. Only three reasons may be given by the govt. to justify their
decision of giving the first priority to OA.
2. There was and there still is extreme scarcity in the availability of vaccines. Thus, the govt. had no other option left than to prioritize the people based on their ages.
3. WE INDIANS FOLLOW MORALS. HOW COME WE VACCINATE YOUNGER PEOPLE ALONG WITH THE OA? THEY MUST BE GIVEN TOP PRIORITY IN EVERY SPHERE OF LIFE. IT'LL BE STRICTLY AGAINST OUR MORALS IF WE Don’t DO SO.
Though, the 1st and 2nd points
above are quite reasonable and make sense. But, let me just conclude with a
single, yet bold question which I bet will give you an opinion you never had
thought before.
"What's more painful for young boys/girls who are in their tender ages of 10/20s - to spend their entire life without parents or without grandparents"? I have put myself in this situation and imagined my life in both cases. You too do the same, put the hand on your heart and answer the question above.
These kind of morals NOT always work well. The justification I have tried to make, I hope...will make sense for you and make it relatable for you.
For deeper reading you can refer here - When and why you should break your morals
Also, not only the morals…if we see it from the economics point of view also - who contributes more to the GDP or the national income of a country? Who are the liabilities and who are the assets for a country? Do I even need to answer? We all are well aware of this.
Going through all the points I have mentioned above, if you have given me the tag of an 'evil person' who hates old-aged people and has no sentiments for them; let me tell you that I am not the only one having this opinion.
{ Also, there definitely are exceptions in the above arguments and opinions, neither I have any problem with the OA. I too have OA loved ones and I love them with all my heart. That's why I am NOT AT ALL saying that their lives are anywhere less important for the families or for the nation. All I am saying is that both the MA and OA must have been placed on the same priority list! }
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Rahul lost his momma-pappa to COVID19 within a gap of 7 days. He was left with no one else but, his grandparents. Rahul...is no more than a living corpse now. He knows it very well that, had his parents gotten their vaccine dose just like his grandparents, they must be alive now and his life wouldn't be ruined!
There are thousands
of Rahul in India. Who should we hold responsible for the miserable condition they are in and they will be in for the rest of their lives??
Obviously not the stars!