Martand Singh
The corona virus crisis has had an adverse impact on our communities, society, families and ordinary lives. However, the brunt of the crisis has been faced by our frontline workers, the people who are working day and night to ensure our safety and save lives of lakhs of people. They have left their homes and families, often having sleepless nights, risking their own lives for ours.
I think we should all have realized the sacrifice and commitment of our Medical fraternity including Doctors, Nurses, Medical Staff and Health workers. These men and women are saving millions of lives, putting themselves in danger and have become caretakers of thousands of patients who are recovering or fighting the virus in isolation. In the past weeks, we have seen many images on social media coming from hospitals that show the love and care being given by our Medical and health workers. Since the corona virus crisis struck, many of them have made these hospitals their homes, and haven’t seen their own families for weeks. With the rapid rise in the number of Covid-19 patients, their challenges keep mounting and often as seen recently many of them have also become victims of the virus. They are our true heroes andin the timesto come the country has a great debt to pay to them, not only in terms of resources and investment in our health sector but, more importantly an emotional investment and gratitude to our Medical and Health fraternity.
In addition, the commitment and grit shown by several of our Government officers at all levels (including District Commissioners, SDMs and Tehsildars) is commendable and must be applauded. In the past weeks we have seen many such examples during the battle against corona virus coming from across the far-flung twenty districts of Jammu & Kashmir. This despite the several grave challenges including lack of resources and many a time a non-cooperative public. These persons are the ones implementing the safety guidelines, measures and orders of the Government on the ground. Such competent and courageous officers are the backbone of the government and in this time of crisis they are working to ensure that essential services and amenities are provided to the people. They have not backed down but have boldly faced the challenge. Many of them have even remained pro-active on social media (such as Twitter) providing easy access and grievance redressal for the public. They not only provide one-way information and awareness but also actively engage with the public and take necessary action.
In this lockdown period, we have also seen many Police officers leading from the front ensuring the rule of law. They have the delicate responsibility of containing an anxious and restless public, while also ensuring security and essential mobility in our sensitive state. In many instances we have also seen their compassion towards humanity in multiple ways. It is also re-assuring to have many senior Police Officers actively engaging and redressing public grievances through social media.
Another commendable role has been of our Local bodies and Municipal Corporations, whose contributions we tend to neglect in normal circumstances. From the Mayor, right down to our SafaiKaramchari they are all trying to ensure the maintenance, amenities and cleanliness of our towns and cities. All these workers continue to be on the streets daily while we are under lockdown.
Many Non-Governmental groups or organisations and even several individuals across the cities, towns and villages of Jammu & Kashmir are also making contributions. Apart from several monetary contributions to the J&K Relief Fund (that we must appreciateconsidering the economic crisis our country is facing), many of them have come out to do humanitarian work such as feeding the poor and migrant population, stitching masks at home and volunteering to help in providing essential goods and services. It is also heartening to see several young people and artists displaying their talent and skills on social media often with a positive socio-cultural message. This has helped in boosting the morale of our frontline workers and the public that is under lockdown.
The positive role of the Internet and Social Media during this crisis and lockdown has been very evident despite the challenges of having only 2G mobile internet services in Jammu & Kashmir. Even after the crisis subsides social media will continue to be a vital tool that must be developed and nurtured, both by the public and the government to ensure better communication, safety and awareness. The above mentioned men and women of our society are Real Heroes and this crisis has given our youth an opportunity to recognise Real Life Role-Models to inspire their future!
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