Tippu Sultan: A direct descendant of the king of Srirangapatnam, at least that is how he introduces himself to people who don’t know him, has a very unique personality, just like everybody else. He ascribes all his life’s problems to the spin of Andromeda galaxy. Obviously, he writes under a pseudonym Tippu Sultan. Although he aspires to be a polymath, truth be told he is a Jack of all trades, Sultan of none 😜

God helps those…

Words by Tippu Sultan

Numerically speaking, one of the most beautiful years (at least to look at) of our lifetime (after 2000 of course) just went by. It held a mirror that questioned our biases, assumptions, and actions. A lot of us – the privileged included – were battered. With Herculean efforts, collaboration, and cooperation, we finally have a vaccine to escape the fear and suffering. Thanks to scientific prowess, we can look forward to a hopefultomorrow. As you look towards the East, this hopeful tomorrow is right at the horizon causing a daybreak. As time tides by, it is a warm and sunny day to look forward to.

I was offered an opportunity to jumpstart this day – a chance to get vaccinated by a PHC camp was organized at my apartment. As flabbergasted as I was to be offered this chance, my mind quickly pondered, “What’s the catch?” Here are a few possibilities that it listed down:

1. Without my knowledge and consent, I am being slyly recruited to be a part of a trial.
2. The vaccine has expired. By inoculating me with it, not only do they not get questioned about the expired vaccine, but they also get to dispose it off. 
3. The government is desperate to achieve their target numbers before the state election on Apr 6th.

Apart from these, I could not find one good reason on why they were ready to vaccinate a someone in his mid 30s, who does not step out of his home (for anything), does not prefer visitors, and has no co-morbidities. In short, a social recluse who could easily be the last person to need the vaccine on earth!

More than the lure of the vaccine itself, I was inquisitive to understand the reasons behind how it was made available to me. I visited my apartment’s gym (where the vaccine camp was organized) and found the doctor. I engaged in a casual conversation and laced my apprehensions to it. Understanding my direction of thought, she tried to reason it for me:

“We all have target to achieve. And we are not able to achieve them since people are not openminded enough to get the vaccination. They believe the fake anti-vaccine WhatsApp forwards more than they believe us doctors. On one hand, we cannot make it compulsory but on the other, we cannot waste the vaccines. In such a Catch-22 situation, the only way we can do justice to our jobs is by making the vaccine available to people, who are willing to be forthcoming. Irrespective of their age, exposure, co-morbidity status – people who are plainly willing.”

Even as I sympathized with her, I thanked the stars for serving the vaccine on a platter. There was an iota of guilt on how I am jumping the queue while the vaccine could make a world of difference to someone else in my place who may need it more than I do. I cursed the poor demand planning done by the concerned people at a city level. But also secretly thanked them from the corner of my mind since it was probably their poor planning that brought the vaccine to my doorstep.

While I waited out the observation time after the shot, the doctor came around to examine me. I asked her again if all her reasoning were indeed true. As Indians go by, pinching her throat, she said, “God promise! These people want their respective gods to save them from COVID-19. But what will save them is vaccine. Prayers are effective, but miracles seldom happen. What the gullible people fail to understand is that the miracle they had always hoped and prayed for, is this very vaccine!”

With a sheepish smile, I remembered the adage, God helps those who help themselves