Vaccination slot struggle is making Gulshan anxious

There’s a sense of edginess but one needs to remember that we all will get vaccinated eventually. GULSHAN,

Afortnight after the Covid-19 vaccination drive began for the age group of 18 to 44 years, many have managed to get their first jab,while several others are still struggling to even reserve a slot.

Sharing his agony, actor Gulshan Devaiah recently took to Twitter and wrote, “This 18-44 slot booking is the online equivalent of rushing to get a seat when the bus arrives because we’re scared we’d be left out. This we have inherited from our past generations, because in India either you know someone who’ll cut you in or you’ll have to grab what you can.”

The 42-year old reveals that he was struggling with a sudden onset of anxiety when he tweeted this. “I have had friends joining groups to get alerts about the vaccination slots. We’re constantly exchanging messages. Some are even driving two hours to get a shot. Every day in the evening, I have been checking the app and website. So I was reasoning out this ridiculous behaviour as the anxiety started building up,” says the actor.

Devaiah also believes most Indians have been “coached since childhood” that we need to “rush and grab” because there won’t be enough for everybody. “This is something we’ve culturally inherited… There’s a sense of edginess but one needs to remember that we all will get vaccinated eventually,” he elaborates.

The reason behind this mindset, feels the actor, could also be the “uncertainty and the lack of faith” in the system. “Somewhere, we don’t trust the system, and also the prerogative of the government and the officers… The tweets like ‘don’t panic’ don’t work,” Devaiah explains.

Amid all this, the actor is glad that social media is being used for noble causes. “We have social media to express grief and frustrations. It networks and connects people. And if tweets get amplified, we can make something good happen in times of crisis,” he opines.

The Ghost Stories (2020) actor also notes that the present situation — with news of someone known and others succumbing to Covid-19 and other setbacks — is upsetting and adds to the anxiety. “Sometimes, you feel angry. It happens momentarily. But I’m trying to stay calm and collected,” says Devaiah.