Coping with COVID deaths
Irony of life is that one man’s misery can be another man’s opportunity. These past two months have been a mortifying experience for most citizens. The unabated number of casualties occurring around us amid complete lockdown situation had already created a frenzy. And when the worst fears come true, and the loved ones depart without a farewell, grappling with the adversity becomes more traumatic when disposal of the body becomes an unforeseen headache. Getting coffin for one, can be a major challenge.
With coffin dealers closed, carpenters unavailable and demand soaring by the day, surely for those left behind are tormented like never before. Rightly, the administration encouraged private carpenters to fill the breach. The photo above is one such enterprising carpenter of Upper Shillong area who toiled overtime to keep the supply line intact. These unsung heroes also deserve a pat on the back even though it was a business outright.
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Talking of disposal of dead bodies, those who cremate the dead are having no less tribulation. In the first places, the sealed bodies are rushed to the crematorium without family members are able to catch a last glimpse or perform the traditional rites. That apart, when the electric crematorium goes out of order, the cremation has to be the traditional way. Being Covid inflicted death, only the front line workers are authorised to drop the body at the crematorium at Mawbah for a group of local youths to complete the process. Pyre is made by these youth and the municipal staff place the body on it for lighting it up by a close relation. Apart from the cost of Rs 2,500 for firewood, due to the abnormal situation there are additional costs. These self-appointed undertakers charge a tidy sum of anything over Rs 3,000 per body. Thus, cost of cremation of Covid-related deaths becomes thrice the normal charges! Surely, these youth have made the prevailing adversity into a stepping stone for themselves. Given the crisis at hand, nobody is really complaining.
The craving for dinings, not food
To frequent fast-food corners and restaurants and relish on varieties of food were quite a thing until the second wave of COVID-19 played the spoilsport. Now that COVID cases are continuing to dip in Meghalaya, there is a ray of hope for gourmands to patronise eateries. However, the expectations may be a far cry from reality, at least until the lockdown is lifted. But for how long? Even if the lockdown is lifted, the seat-and-eat facility will probably not be provided by the eateries anytime soon. Plus, ordering food is futile. The feeling of eating outside has always been different. The vibe, you see. Hope the government…
*The chat, to which the SJ team involuntarily became a witness, gets abruptly ended as one of the two friends gets summoned.* “Didi, mother is asking you to end your gossips and go home. She says it’s not safe outside,” her sibling exclaims.
Needless to say, finishing off conversations is much easier at eateries, over food.
Missing in action
Some MLAs have been missing in action. Of the 60 elected representatives, of whom 36 are from Khasi -Jaintia Hills, eight MLAs represent Shillong and its suburbs. While some have been doing their bit of helping their constituents quietly with or without the special MLA funds released recently government quietly; others have opted for photo-ops while still others have been completely missing from public view. Those happen to be some of the most bombastic and loud ones during non-Covid times. They love media coverage of their acts of “charity.”
The people of those constituencies are wondering why their MLA has suddenly become quiet. One of the voters from a particular constituency said he thinks the MLA is very scared of contracting Covid if he interacts with the common people who are exposed because they have to go out to work, no matter how dire the circumstances.
But its not just the people of Shillong and its suburbs that are complaining.
The SJ team interacted with the farmers-cum-vendors who brought their agricultural produce to the make-shift wholesale market near Anjalee Cinema. They are very offended with the Agriculture Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh and other officials for being blind and deaf to their plight and not finding ways and means to help them find buyers for their products.
Evening after evening they find themselves with their unsold products, especially tomatoes by the hundreds of kilograms. One of them said, “So many years have passed but the government has not even come up with a processing plant for tomatoes which can be converted into puree or sauce or even juice. People in restaurants who need juice as a base for cocktails depend on Real Tomato Juice produced by Dabur. Why can’t Meghalaya produce its own processing unit?” That answer is blowing in the wind right now…
