Concerned about the worsening second wave of the pandemic, they find solace in bhajans and puranas
Valli Mutthu, 67, from Nagari Township, had lost her job as a maid in half a dozen households during the lockdown triggered by the coronavirus last year. She just resumed work in a few houses in November last year after the infection subsided and the situation eased somewhat.
Before she could fix her life, Ms. Valli Mutthu lost her job again when the second wave of the pandemic hit in the first week of April.
The surge in COVID cases has left a bundle of nerves in many elderly people. They are afraid of their uncertain future and are just a spent force. They listen to bhajans and puranas for solace.
She has been shocked by reports of those who have died from the virus “orphaned” by officials, lack of hospital beds, oxygen and the black market for life-saving drugs, and high hospital bills.
Many of the elderly today are seen in local temples offering prayers and spending time doing bhajans and listening to Puranas. Such scenes have become common in suburbs along the Chittoor-Tamil Nadu border, which sways under the influence of the second wave.
“I came to Nagari three decades ago after my husband’s death from Chennai. The families who knew me well now find me a pariah. They think I am a potential carrier of the virus. I now find solace in small temples. I eat whatever I can find once or twice a day. I spend time listening to bhajans and religious discourse, ”she says.
Parameshwaraiah, 72, who has retired as a peon from a government office in Puttur, says he has no one to turn to in an emergency.
“After my wife died a decade ago, I was treated as a burden by his son’s family. I have to give them a large part of my pension. You don’t talk to me much. I am upset with life. I find several people of mine who visit temples and pray. I join them. We chat about Puranas and the latest pandemic news, ”he says.