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INDIA IS DYING. There is 1 death from COVID-19 every 5 minutes.

My Brother-in-law (my bestfriend’s husband) lost his uncle who was COVID19 +ve not coz of the virus, but coz of LACK OF OXYGEN AVAILABILITY. Oxygen that should have been available and ready – coz the Center govt. had an entire year to prepare for the second wave that we all knew was coming. The family desperately ran from pillar to post, yet they couldn’t find oxygen. His whole family helplessnessly watched him slowly dying in front of their eyes. His poor son who btw is also +ve (so is the deceased’s daughter and wife) waited an entire day with his father’s body at the creamation ground. There were so many dead waiting cremation that his turn came late at night. While the greiving widow and young daughter isolated at home, waiting for her son to return.

Such is the situation of Patna (Bihar), and countless places in India right now. People aren’t just dying coz their COVID19 +ve body is giving up, but they are dying coz of something that can save their life, yet we have major shortage of : OXYGEN.

Pregnant women are struggling to get prenatal care, and those with other medical conditions are simply unable to get any care or even medical assistance. Everyone is scared, and our Health Care workers are overwhelmed and our Health Care system has crumbled. The Governments however are busy blaming each other, or busy praising themselves for not even doing bare minimum to assist the country in this time of need.

Surely we can blame vast majority of public for being careless, but even those who have been careful entire past year are getting infected, and dying. And not just dying due to the virus, but also coz of lack of oxygen, lack of beds in medical facilities. The cremation sites are overwhelmed with increasing dead bodies. And people are emotionally drained, afraid and struggling to accept the unfortunate reality we find ourselves in.

It isn’t just carelessness of the public, but also utter negligence of the Center and State Govt’s fault – that the entire system has crumbled infront of our eyes, while we sit in utter chaos filled with depair. In West Bengal where due to the election rallies not only every second person is infected, but Triple Mutation COVID19 virus is creating havoc. In Utter Paradesh, after Kumb Mela was opened for public, the infection rate blew up as well. This raises an ethical and moral question about the state of politics and politicians in India : is religion politics, election and political power more important that you endanger public’s lives? And unfortunately we all know that the answer to that is a heartbreaking shameless “Yes”.

There are atleast TWO new mutated strain of COVID19 virus currently creating havoc in India. One B.1.617 variant originated from Maharastra : causing death within 3 days of infection, and another originated in West Bengal : a deadly super spreader that is ‘Triple Mutation’ virus, that as the name suggests is a strain of three mutation combined and believed to spread way faster than the normal COVID19 strain.

Those who we put in charge of our nation, our states have endangered our lives, have caused the entire system to collapse from under our feet, leaving us fending for ourselves and suffocating to death. While WE, THE PEOPLE have constantly donated, and still are donating and doing everything to help each other in this time of need. Take for instance even the ‘PM Care Fund’ that countless Indian public donated to – even that money hasnt been used to help the very same public. The Center Govt. refuses to disclose the fund allocation and among, and refuses to allow auditing it. They just took public’s money, and that’s it! The people (like my BIL) who donated to PM care Fund last year, their own loved ones are dying coz of lack of oxygen or medical attention.

So why do we need to put politicians in power, allowing them unlimited supply of our resources, and power over us – when we ourselves have, and are extremly capable of being in charge, helping each other, and work together seamlessly? Everyone from Social Media influencers, to common public, to celebrities are doing their share, doing all we can be it big or small, while the politicians are busy blaming each other.

WE ONLY HAVE EACH OTHER above and beyond any caste, creed, color, religion, region. Your pain is mine, my pain is yours. Its time to recognize that nation makes people, and people make nation. Thats the only patriotism we need. Humanity is the only religion that we all need to obsesse after. Call every single people in power, every single political party in power accountable for series of constant negligence, abuse of power and murder of countless people whoes lives could have been saved, who’s deaths could have been easily avoided if only these Bureaucrats did the job they get voted in power for – serve the nation, serve the public, keep us safe. Instead they take our money, and make us fight amongst each other, while leaving us to fend for ourselves in times of crisis and need.

We are in this situation because of not just public carelessness, but also due to utter avoidable Bureaucratic negligence. Apathetic Central Govt. + Pathetic mis-management or lack there of of Central Govt + Putting Religious and electoral Politics over the lives of people + Govt’s total disregard of themselves following Covid rules that they force common public to follow, and suffer under without providing public of any financial backing to allow to survive indoors + Central Govt. and Kumb Mela committee allowing religious congregation in full force + Central Govt. and Electoral Commission allowing election rallies that the Prime Minister himself participated in : all this ublic congregation at one place for selfish and mindless reason. Deliberatly putting public’s lives at risk, and their murder if we are being extremly truthful here.

All this while daily wage workers, and migrants were left to suffer on their own; unemployed people, and those with disabilities not receving a single penny from the Govt. while being constatly reminded to donate to the PM care Fund last year. I have been at my wits end due to financial crisis that I have been facing coz of my inability to rejoin workforce since past three years due to serious medical issues 🙃 But does the Govt. care for those like me? NO. But sure as hell I got spammed with automated text messages, and messages on my Banking app to donate to PM care fund! And then Bank employees had the ‘donation’ amount for PM Care Fund auto deducted from their hard earned salary which they earn by daily going to work and putting their lives at risk since being an essential worker and all. My BIL is one of those countless Bank employee, but did his family get any help? NO. Like I said WE ARE ON OUR OWN.

If you thinking about “what happened to PM Care Fund, whats the total amount in it, how or if the funds have been allocated from it?” The answer to that as a member of public is : “WE DON’T KNOW”. An RTI was filed in court to get informationon the funds, but the Govt. straight away stated that it will not allow auditing nor share any information about the Fund. Lets not forget, this is PUBLIC’S MONEY & NOT TAX MONEY, BUT AN ACTUAL DONATION BY PUBLIC TO HELP THE PUBLIC DURING COVID19. It would be accurate to state that even certain funds being used from the PM Care, the Central Govt. is absolutely congratulating each other, and milking it by saying that THEY are helping the public, while the public is literally helping ourselves with our own money, which itself isn’t available to us or being spent on us.

Listen, public is being charged for COVID19 tests, while the Govt. doesn’t care how the person who is COVID +ve will find the ridiculous amount of money in this situation. Universal Healthcare when this country earns TRILLIONS from taxes from public, oh PLEASE! Basic common senses and financial relief let alone financial help from Govt. – NOPE. Precisely why a huge amount of public refuse to get tested, and are being irresponsible coz they are spreading viruses around them. In this country there are families who will sell everything they own, and still their loved one will die, while hospital will refuse to discharge the dead body until the impossible amount of bill isn’t cleared. We, as Indians, all know the system works here. So, I am pretty sure there are huge amounts of Oxygen stock piked by some people, who are selling them in black market. I mean, profit over lives!

How are the children coping here? Amazes me! I think they are the strongest of us all. Staying indoors for more than a year,not being able to meet or play with friends, hearing of people around them getting sick, dying. Watching news, listening to their parents duscussing in fear of the situations. And simply just quietly watching all of this from their innocent young eyes. How are we, the adults coping here? Some of us are crying, some suffering anxiety attacks, some turning numb, some angry, some scared, and some of us are refusing to accept whats happening around us.

Yes, I am absolutely frustrated, and angry. So angry. At every single Political party in power, at the Central Govt., at the Bureaucrats, and even frankly at the law enforcement that hasnt hesitated in beating and harassing common people for breaking down covid rules, or for simply stepping out to earn livelihood – but have no power, and is also looking the other way when it comes to Bureaucrats, and Politicians allowing, and supporting religious congregations and election rallies. But also absolutely relieved to see our own people coming together to help each other, emotionally, financially : tirelessly and selflessly.

India helped SO MANY COUNTRIES last year when the world was struggling with COVID19. Even though ours is the second largest population in the world, we had managed to stay sane and safe and strong for the rest of the world; even though we were scared ourselves, and afraid about what if we ourselves will face crusus and shortages. But our country didn’t think twice before helping others. Thats India always for you, regardless of who is in power here. But right now India, and Indians need all the help and support from every part of the world. WE NEED HELP. WE ARE DYING AVOIDABLE DEATHS COZ OF ABSOLUTE SHORTAGE OF OXYGEN NEDICAL FACILITIES. WE NEED HELP, AND A LOT OF HELP.

I DON’T KNOW HOW AND WHEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO EMOTIONALLY RECOVER. Nothing makes sense right now. And everyday we wake up, yet this nightmare remains ready to haunt us wide awake. If we are on our own, then we need to take back our power, help each other and ourselves – without letting any of these politicians dividing us. Hold ourselves accountable, and those in power too. This is our country, our people after all!

Right now, we are dying AVOIDABLE deaths. And that’s NOT OKAY. I am not okay. Nothing is okay. All these people dying had survived all of the disastrous 2020, but this time…

…I don’t know how to finish this sentence.

“India is dying, and those who we put in charge of our nation, our states have endangered our lives, have caused the entire system to collapse from under our feet, leaving us fending for ourselves and suffocating to death.”