TIRUPUR: Friends describe 22-year-old Ganesh as a fun-loving youth with a fondness for eggs. Beneath the light-hearted demeanor, however, lay big dreams and a million worries. They all came to an end on June 24, when the 108 ambulance medical technician succumbed to Covid-19.
His parents Perumal-Periyakka had banked on Ganesh to change their family’s fortunes. “His parents are goatherds settled in Vembur Nallur in Vedasanthur in Dindigul district and are very poor,” Ganesh’s uncle Loganathan explained. Ganesh was their youngest child -- two of his elder sisters are married while the third has intellectual disabilities.
“They didn't want him to also become a goatherd, so they were very keen that he study,” he said. Ganesh completed his BSc in Physics at a private college in Karur. After an initial struggle to find a job, thanks to a friend, he got one as a medical technician in 108 ambulance service attached to the Tirupur Government Hospital. He was posted in Avinashipalayam in August 2018.
“Since he wanted to renovate his house in the village, he came home on June 9 by bike. While the construction was going on, he was asked to return to work. So, he went back to Tirupur on June 12,” Loganathan recalled. However, Ganesh fell ill and tested positive for Covid on June 18. He was shifted to ESI Hospital in Coimbatore but died on June 24.
“His parents are illiterate and did not even know about the disease that killed their son. They are inconsolable,” he said.
Although a fun-loving person, Ganesh was worried about the family’s financial condition.
According to another relative, Mani, Ganesh was a contract employee earning Rs 13,000 a month. Though he had repaid the loans he took for his studies, he had taken out another loan of Rs 2 lakh to renovate his home. Besides, he had also pledged his sister's jewels to repay some debts, Mani said, adding that the family would struggle to repay the loan.
“He wanted to get a better job. He wanted to build a good house for his parents. That was his dream,” Loganathan said.
Another dream, one Ganesh gave up, was to become a police officer, said his friend Anand, a medical technician, who is currently under quarantine.
“Ganesh was a good friend. He aspired to become a police officer. He tried to join the police force, but failed twice in the police constable exam,” he said, recalling his fondness for non-vegetarian food, especially eggs.
Tirupur 108 Ambulance Drivers Association president A Guna recalled Ganesh as a quick learner. “We met him two days ago at ESI Hospital from a distance. Even on the night of June 23, he spoke to us on a video call. The next day when we heard that he had died we were shocked.”