MANJRI SHARMA, who contracted Covid-19, together with her husband, learnt to value the many things she had hitherto taken for granted – the care and love showered on her and her husband by her extended family and the ample sun in her backyard

One fine day, I had a tryst with the dreaded coronavirus. It so happened that I had a bit of a cold and asked my cousin, who is a doctor in Rishikesh, to prescribe me some antibiotics. I live in a joint family and that meant I had to be extra careful as there were small children around. For the first two days, I was on medication for cold. At that point, my husband too had similar symptoms and we both decided to have a covid test done, just to rule it out. To our utter surprise, the reports were positive.

This was a bit of a shock, rather a blow to us, but since we were in it together, we tried to show a little bit of bravery and would often talk encouragingly to each other. That was our way to keep our nervousness at bay. 

Soon, I stopped taking phone calls as I didn’t have the strength to talk to anybody. Moreover, it became tiring talking to people and speculating on how I had contracted the virus. For almost five days, I wasn’t even interested in watching TV. Once this phase had passed, I began feeling a bit better and thanked God that I was alive. I was, however, feeling very weak.

The first three days, we were both very nervous but tried to keep our calm. The medication was started at that point, and several tests were done. We kept monitoring our oxygen levels and temperature. Slowly, we started coming to terms with the virus not knowing what was in store for us the next day. Fortunately, those 14 days passed and we began feeling relieved. 

Manjri Sharma with her husband and grandchildren in
Covid-free times

One of the greatest blessings and a great advantage that God has given us was the sun in our backyard where we used to spend more than half of our day. Basking in the winter sun, having our breakfast and then lunch in the afternoon lovingly supplied to us by our extended family out in the open was no less than a five-star luxury. It kept us alive and cheerful, for sitting confined in the room for 14 days would have surely sent us into depression. 

It was recommended that we keep changing our bed sheets and razai covers every third day. Washing them, then drying them in the bright sun had become our routine. Every day, we would also disinfect our bed linen in the sun. All our clothes were washed with Dettol, then sun-dried and neatly folded and ready for use the next day.

When we were better, it became boring to stay confined to our room, but we had no choice but to wait for we were keeping ourselves isolated from the family.

Finally, the 14th day of our isolation came to an end. By this time, we were yearning to rejoin the family. But before we could do that, we had to take a corona test once again. We also had the added task of cleaning and sanitising our room and disinfect all surfaces that we had touched. 

One of the greatest lessons that corona taught me was that of patience. All these 14 days, I had been waiting patiently for this period to end. It was a daily routine of washing, bathing and sanitising, then ticking off the day that had passed.

Finally, the 14-day exile was over and we tested negative. That was the signal to be reunited once again with the family. I sincerely felt it was the start of a new dawn that brought with it, a bouquet of good health, happiness and peace. 

I cannot thank God enough for the kindness, love and affection that he showered us with during this time. He watched over us, kindly giving us the strength to conquer this critical time. 

It was a lesson in gratitude for sure. I also learned to thank God for the care we got from our family who had food sent to us daily. We thanked God, too, for the ample sun in our backyard that brightened our day and for the good night’s sleep every night, that he gave us. Thank you, my Hanumanji, for your loving care. You made us strong again.  

Manjri Sharma, who lives with her family in Rishikesh, is a homemaker. She loves nature and everything about it. Travelling is her hobby.

Featured Picture: Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels