Ever since the novel coronavirus took over the world, doctors, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare workers have become front line warriors of this pandemic - many losing their own lives in the process.?
An idol shop in Bengaluru, in order to honour and thank them for their services, has dressed the Ganesha idols as healthcare workers ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival is set to be celebrated on August 22.
While one idol is dressed up as a doctor tending to a patient, a mouse - lord Ganesha's vahana (vehicle) - is seen assisting him.
Another idol has a rope-like material attached to it, and coiled around a virus figurine.??
Also read:?10 Lesser-Known Short Stories Of Bal Ganesha You Need To Know
The intent is to express gratitude towards the healthcare workers, for their dedication and selfless service during this extremely difficult time of a pandemic. Medical workers have put themselves at risk since day one of this pandemic and without them, the world would have collapsed.
Also read:?As Human Trials Complete In Russia, Doctors & Teachers First In Line For COVID-19 Vaccine
At least 99 doctors have lost their lives to the novel disease and more than 1,300 of them have been infected in India. Having to work endless hours and at close quarters with a virus that the rest of the world is fleeing from, takes a lot of courage and dedication. While a lot of them struggled to find PPE kits, spending hours running around and tending to patients, while dressed in them, is no mean feat either.?
As much as they're effective in offering?protection,?PPE kits are known to be very suffocating. Recently, an ambulance driver fainted due to being in a PPE kit for several hours, and?this was the fifth incident in 15 days.?
There was another incident from Assam where a nurse donning a PPE kit had plopped down on the floor due to exhaustion and the picture was widely shared on social media.
The idol-maker, Shridhar, told ANI, ¡°We are facing COVID. We have to tell people to pray to Lord Ganesh for the betterment of the situation throughout the world.¡±
Usually, a grand affair, Ganesh Chathurti might not be the same this year, just like everything else. It is strongly advised for people to maintain social distance from others and not gather in large crowds. However, that does not mean that the spirit of the festival has to be dampened. Thanks to technology, we can still revel without putting ourselves or others at risk.