Having lost parents to Covid, children find it tough to cope
Nalin, 23, is wondering how to break the news to his uncle’s daughters -seven and 10 years old -- that they are now orphans.
“Their father died an hour after talking to them over video on May 3 in hospital,” he said who had arrived in Noida recently on from Hyderabad after he heard the news that Covid-19 had gripped the family. “They lost their mother four days later.”
The girls lived with their parents and grandparents in a high-rise in Ghaziabad. They don’t know that they had lost their grandparents too to the disease. All four deaths happened in a span of 10 days. HT is not revealing the family details to protect their identity.
“We had sent both girls to our hometown in Bareilly when the family showed symptoms,” said Nalin. “Both keep asking us when their parents and grandparents will return from hospital. What can we tell them other than ‘soon’? I had got them to speak to their father over video to motivate him and help in his recovery. How will I break the news?”
The girls’ neighbours are trying to help them with the death certificates.
“We have never seen such a tragedy before, and we are extending all possible helpwith the cremation and arranging documents. It was difficult. More difficult was dealing with the deaths,” said neighbour Raj Kumar.
The Ghaziabad administration has identified 17 minor children (including seven girls) from eight families who had been orphaned in the second wave of infections.
But there are other “children” too, some of them are yet to start off their lives.
In Vaishali, 22-year-old Akshansh lost both his parents in two days at a hospital.
“My father died on April 22 and the next day, my mother,” he said. “Life has completely changed. I am now responsible
for my 16-year-old sister. All four of us had been infected but they died. Our relatives performed the cremation while we both were in hospital. They told us two days after we both recovered on April 26. I still cannot accept we are orphans.”
Akshansh, a Btech graduate, now hopes to get a job soon in an economy that is trying to find stable ground.
Similarly, Ayush Kumar, 23, lost his mother and father in a week.
“My mother tested positive for Covid, and she succumbed at a hospital in Delhi on April 22. On April 29, my 66-year-old father died of shock when he was told of the news. He did not have the infection. I performed all the cremation rituals one after the other. I don’t have many relatives. My life has been shattered,” said Kumar who is pursuing chartered accountancy.
Then there are the stories of minors without an earning member.
“My husband tested positive for Covid-19 on May 3 and two days later he died at home. He was the only earning member,”
said Richa Sharma. “The education of our children (one nine and the other six years old) is under a cloud. I have also my aged in-laws to look after.”
Govt response
The officials said that they are paying more attention to minor children and their relatives and trying to extend all possible help.
“As of now, the government has announced for helping out in continuing education of minor children and also helping them out financially. We are waiting for the government order to arrive. As of now it is only for children of deceased parents suffering from Covid and not for suspected cases. All the affected minors are with their relatives and in trauma. We are also taking up online counselling and our officers are in touch with their families,” said Vikas Chandra, district probation officer.
Non-governmental organisations are also offering assistance.
“We are providing ration to affected families and also tying up with schools where minor
children can continue their education. We have been given assurance by seven schools that they will take up free education of such children. Till the other member find some job, we will also continue to provide monthly ration to the family,” said Ajay Sharma, founder member of ‘Hamara Pariwar,’ a charitable organisation which is supporting family of Richa Sharma.
Anuj Tyagi, the state vicepresident of Uttar Pradeshiya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh, an association of basic education teachers, said that they have given a list of 11 dead teachers to the basic education department.
“We have requested the government to intervene and announce our deceased teachers as Corona warriors as many of them got infected during the election duties. The government has announced Rs 30 lakh compensation. In case they are termed as Corona warriors, the compensation will increase to Rs 50 lakh which will be more beneficial for survival of the children of the deceased,” he added.