Destiny deals cruel blow, opens floodgates of grief

Three siblings face an uncertain future after loss of parents, grandparents

Three siblings, aged 11 to 13 years, have lost their parents to Covid-19 within a year at Lisad village in Shamli district of western Uttar Pradesh.

Now, the eldest of the children —a 13-year-old boy — has to shoulder the responsibility of providing for his brother and sister. The children also lost their grandparents, albeit for nonCovid reasons, last year.

While the boy is a student of class 10, his sister is in class 9 and the younger brother in class 8.

“Our parents wanted us (both brothers) to serve the country by joining the Indian Army and the sister to become a doctor. I will try my best to realise their dreams but the priority now is to manage the survival of the family,” says the boy who wants the government to provide assistance, including waiver of school fees, electricity bills, ration and financial support.

Their father was a marginal farmer with a small landholding of nine bighas. After his death at the age of 42, the eldest son works on his agricultural field with his siblings.

“We are taking care of our sugarcane crop and go there to do routine field work every day,” says the elder boy over the phone.

For the time being, their aunt (father’s sister) and maternal uncle are staying with them by rotation.

“Sometimes, bua (aunt) stays with us. Mamaji arrives after she goes home,” says the eldest boy. Some help has also come from others.

He says the local station house officer and circle officer met them and provided them with some ration (20 kg flour, su gar and rice). Some individuals, including a local journalist Ravi Sulania, also gave one month’s ration.

The children’s father died of Covid-19 in April last year during the first wave of the pandemic. Unable to bear the grief, the 72-year-old grandfather died in July last year. Five months later, the grandmother also passed

NOW, THE ELDEST OF THE CHILDREN —A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY — HAS TO SHOULDER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PROVIDING FOR HIS BROTHER AND SISTER

away.

After that, the mother was raising the three children with great difficulty. But she also got infected and suffered from high fever in the third week of April this year.

Initially, the village doctor treated her, the eldest son says, adding she was taken to a hospital in Shamli when her condition deteriorated.

Doctors referred her to another hospital in the Baraut area of Baghpat district. After brief treatment, the doctors referred her to a hospital in Baghpat.“She was declared Covid-19 positive and eventually shifted to the Covid hospital of Khekra (Baghpat) where she breathed her last on April 30,” the boy says.