Straight Line News Network
Oct 13: Somya Lakhani, a journalist working with Indian express who had written about how rituals of mourning had turned into solitary grief just two months back took to twitter to share the heart-wrenching story of her own family.
Loosing a loved one is always painful but having lost six people in the last four months, four to Covid, she talked about how family members are no longer able to offer a shoulder to cry on. Mourning has turned into “loud cries over the phone & a shockwave.”
The twitter thread shows how important it is that you take Covid seriously.
She tweeted, Lost my uncle to #Covid in Rishikesh yesterday afternoon. His heartbroken daughter drove back home from Delhi, reached at 11 pm, sat across her mother & cried, unable to hug each other. Mins later, her mother collapsed. Declared dead at midnight. My aunt couldn’t bear the loss, the doctor said. Now, we’ve lost 6 people in the last 6 months — 4 to #Covid. My mind is playing tricks & every memory of Rishikesh — their house next to the river, their kirana store, cosy lunches — is playing on loop.
My parents are devastated. My father’s childhood is tied to his cousin’s, Roshan bhaisaab, in Rishikesh — both born in India after their parents migrated from Pakistan in 1947. Roshan uncle & Kamla bharjaayi raised the kindest children. Here was no dearth of love in that house. Today, as the whole family grieves, we are unable to be together. Just loud cries over the phone & a shockwave. News has been kept away from some senior citizens of the family for now. Too fragile, scared, emotional?
I wrote a long piece on grief last month with @toramatix. Little did I know that my family too will get caught in this emotional turmoil. My parents are heartbroken. I am scared for their physical health, equally scared for their mental well-being. Our house is quiet, not a smile on anyone’s face. Just going about our day without any eye contact. We are grieving.
WEAR YOUR MASKS. #Covid is destroying lives, entire families. Be safe.
