Articles by Laasya Shekhar

Translated by Sandhya Raju சுமார் 25,000 பேருக்கு தொற்று உள்ள நிலையில், சென்னை நகரம் இன்னும் தொற்றின் பிடியிலிருந்து சற்றும் குறையவில்லை. அதிக நபர்களுக்கு தொற்று ஏற்பட்டுள்ள நிலையில், எங்கு பரிசோதனை செய்வது, சரியான மருத்துவமனையை தேர்ந்தேடுப்பது ஆகிய அடிப்படை விஷயங்கள் குறித்த புரிதல் இன்னும் பலருக்கு இல்லை. இதன் விளைவாக பரிசோதனை முடிவில் தொற்று உறுதியானால், அடிப்படை விஷயங்களை பற்றி சரியான புரிதல் இல்லாததால் அவருக்கும் அவர் குடும்பத்தாருக்கும் பயத்தை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது. “சென்னையில் கோவிட்-19 தொற்றால் ஏற்படும் மரணத்திற்கு பெரும்பாலும் சரியான நேரத்தில் சிகிச்சை அளிக்கப்படாததே காரணம். தொற்று அறிகுறியை அறிந்து தாமதிக்காமல் சிகிச்சை எடுத்துக்கொள்வது இந்த நேரத்தில் மிக அவசியம்" என்கிறார் ஸ்டான்லி மருத்துவமனையின் மருத்துவ கண்காணிப்பாளர் டாக்டர் கே. தனசேகரன். உங்களுக்கு தொற்று ஏற்பட நேரிட்டால், கிருமி மற்றும் நோய் குறித்து சரியான தகவலை அறிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டிய அவசியம் கருதி, உங்களுக்கு உதவும் வகையில்…

Some years back, a couple of low intensity bombs ripped through the Tirumani railway station near Chengalpet, causing substantial damage to the station master’s room. The authorities came to know that another one was ticking somewhere in the vicinity and called in the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Bomb Disposal Squad to handle the situation. Within minutes, Brooks, a male Labrador, jumped into action. The station was evacuated. Brooks sniffed around the station frantically before sitting down unexpectedly. It was a hint for his master A R R Ravi, an RPF official. Brooks had located the third bomb and it…

With around 25,000 positive cases, the city of Chennai has not yet flattened the COVID curve. As more and more people are affected by the virus, the basic questions around getting a test done and choosing the right hospital still remain unanswered for many. The result: as soon as the tests return positive, panic grips the patient and their family members, and they are left struggling in the absence of proper information. "Many of the COVID -19 deaths in Chennai are due to the lack of treatment at the right time. This is a crucial time for every citizen to…

Picture this. Your monthly income falls from Rs 15,000 to zero. How does the state government, which is expected to mitigate the crisis leading to this situation, help you? By announcing cash support of Rs 1000, 15 kg of rice, one kg of dal and one kg of edible oil. The help may not be really enough, but it's some relief. But no, wait, this feeling too proves to be fleeting, because the government wants you to be a part of a welfare board to avail the benefits. The board you didn't even know existed.  This is the story of…

Summer is usually peak business season for Duraimurugan M T, a juice seller near Kathipara Junction. But as the lockdown forced him to shut shop, the sole breadwinner of the family, with no clue as to how he was going to feed his family of four, slipped into depression. “I could not focus on anything. I was depressed over not being able to provide for my family,” Duraimurugan recollected. What did not strike him then was that the street vendor card he had obtained from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) before the lockdown would help him sail through. A volunteer…

On the morning of Monday, June 15th, around 2000 drivers, conductors and mechanics belonging to the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) staged a protest in 33 bus depots of Chennai. Thousands of front line workers -- conservancy workers and officials from government officials, also from the state secretariat -- were stranded due to the non availability of buses. MTC has not yet resumed its services for the general public, but 300 buses are operational to facilitate the commute of front line workers.  But why did the employees protest at this juncture, at a time when the city is struggling to flatten…

Removing her thali (mangalsutra), Kripa (name changed), a staff nurse left for her workplace at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) a fortnight ago. That morning remains etched in her mind: it was the first time she removed the thali in over ten years of marriage and left home to be away from her family for fourteen days at a stretch. Kripa is a senior nurse tending to critically ill patients at the COVID ward of the government hospital. “We have to remove all jewels and accessories when we report to duty, as the virus can stay longer on…

Rajeshweri S. Silambarasan V. Krishnamurthy P. Not names you would be familiar with, but just a few among the thousands of street vendors in Chennai who have survived the lockdown. Around two and a half months ago, Rajeshweri used to sell flowers at Nesapakkam; Silambarasan ironed clothes at Mugalivakkam and a small roadside juice shop at Nanganallur won bread for Krishnamurthy. What ties them together today is poverty and uncertainty; the lockdown and the apathy of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) have thrown their lives into disarray. However, what saw them through the travails of the period was the monetary…

It is always heartbreaking to cancel weddings. The pandemic imposed lockdown has forced hundreds of would-be couples to postpone their big event to some time later next year. At the same time, a significant new trend has also emerged during the crisis -- that of lockdown weddings. Given the uncertainty over when things will be back to normal, many refused to suspend their plans indefinitely and went ahead and took the plunge, although with a downsized wedding that was practically possible and that satisfied social distancing requirements and other norms of the times.  Jagan G and Gowri Gnanasambanthan fell in…

Kumari (name changed), a nurse at a reputed government hospital in Chennai has not been able to feed her child for over 10 days now. She had been exclusively breastfeeding her infant boy till weeks back, but these days she has to leave instructions with her husband on what to feed him and the lullabies to sing in her absence. She then leaves for the hospital, only to come home after 14 days.  A lactating mother, Kumari has a tough and choiceless job ahead: 12-hour long shifts for five days at a stretch, attending to COVID-19 positive patients and to…