By AJ Jawad
(As shared on facebook)

My sister and brother-in-law tested positive for Covid-19. No, they are not Tableeghis and no, they did not attend the Tableegh conference in New Delhi. We don’t know how they got it. May be at the provision store, or at his office or at the local Airtel office my sister had gone to for changing her SIM just before the lockdown.
My sister was asymptomatic but was quarantined in Apollo Vanagaram. She tested negative three times consecutively and was discharged last week. She returned home. My bro-in-law was on ventilation but has recovered now and is waiting for the mandatory tests to confirm his negative status. He’s still in hospital.
My sister returned home and walked into a nightmare. She is all alone at home. Her landlord’s family on the ground floor is helpful. But the problem is my sister and her landlord are facing total social ostracisation. She was abused by one of the residents of the adjacent apartments when she went to the terrace to dry her clothes using communal slurs and she was called a Tableeghi. Her neighbour threatened to throw stones if she didn’t go down from the terrace. She was unable to get provisions or even water.
Fortunately, Ms Mohana, the local sanitary inspector of the Chennai Corporation, came to the rescue. As soon as I called her, she promptly sent her staff to help my sister, organised water supply and garbage clearance. Kudos to her and heartfelt gratidude. The government of TN is doing a great job in spite of the initial glitches.
When I called my sister in the morning she was sobbing uncrontrollably at the humiliation she felt when her neighbour abused her. I consoled her, reminding her of what happened to no less a person than a doctor who was refused burial in the cemetery. I told her that we are living in a new India where humanity, empathy and common sense are at a premium. Somewhere along the line India has lost its soul.
I request all to circulate this message. Not for my sister’s sake but for the sake of those who have suffered this disease and are sacrificing their lives for the sick and the dying. This madness has to stop. Who knows? One day each one of us may be facing this situation.