CHENNAI: Nights have become unusually longer for Sharan* ever since the coronavirus came as an uninvited guest to his small house. Before leaving, the deadly guest took his father along with it and sent his mother out of home, leaving the 14-year-old Sharan to fend for himself. Even in the dead of night, sleep is eluding him as memories of the playful moments he had spent with his parents flash across his mind.
Alone and away from his relatives, the boy spends most of the day playing ‘Free Fire’ on his mobile phone. The device also doubles up as his only means to talk to his mother, who was tested positive and is admitted to a care facility as she is asymptomatic.
"Day passes fast. But when it becomes dark, memories of my father come up," says Sharan adding that he would call his mother when he feels lonely. “Sometimes I talk to her for hours," says the boy at his Mandaveli home.
Life was proceeding as usual for Sharan until his father Babu took ill suddenly and died on May 21 after testing positive for COVID-19. The boy’s mother Shobha says her husband had not gone outside except to buy essentials. "He was a healthy man. So, it (the death) came as a shocker to us," she says. When informed, Corporation officials assured to make arrangements for Shobha to be home quarantined.
‘When it becomes dark, I start thinking of my dad’
Shobha says that she and Sharan talk to each other whenever they feel lonely. "It is difficult to console each other over phone. All we want is to go to Udupi where my parents are living," she says. The only solace for Shobha is her neighbour who makes sure that Sharan doesn’t go hungry.
"We talk at least five times a day. I’m really worried because on some days he sounds fine and on some other days he is inconsolable. He calls me even on wee hours and asks me why this happened to him," tells Shobha over phone from the care facility at Nandambakkam Trade Centre.
Her closest relatives -- parents and brother-- are in Udupi, Karnataka. "They are trying to have Sharan with them. Due to the lockdown, it is difficult to send him there," says the mother.
When informed about the boy’s plight, Corporation officials immediately extended help, assuring to make arrangements for Shobha to be home quarantined so she can be with her son. A senior Corporation official said, "We can allow the mother to be at home. If they don’t have enough space at home, we can take them both to our hospital where they will be taken care of."
However, activists are not totally convinced about such assurances. "There should be a protocol in place for such children. In this case, the child is at least eating thanks to a kind neighbour. This may not be the case for others," said Archanaa Seker, a Chennai-based rights activist who is coordinating with Shobha to work out a solution. “Here, we have a child with trauma. So, mental healthcare needs to be a part of the Corporation’s protocol. They should be able to receive help without having to seek it out,” she added.
*names changed