asmishah

[asmishah]

The New Age Superheroes-Not all Heroes wear capes!

If you were to describe a Superhero, how would you describe him/her? The superhero suit, the cape which helps them to fly, the shield, those cool gadgets, maybe the mask etc. How fascinating they are! They give a good lesson to the bad people and save the world. When I was a child of about four years, I loved superheroes, I even dreamt to become one, but then someone told me the ‘harsh reality’ wherein superheroes don’t really exist. Now that I think about it, whoever told me that superheroes don’t exist were partially wrong.

The superheroes, that do exist are nowhere like the ones that I pictured. They don’t have capes, their suit is quite different, and they don’t have those cool masks. They wear these white masks that only cover their nose and mouth, they have a face shield, they wear those medical gloves, and their suit is quite different from the  superhero suit I had in my mind.

But one thing that is similar is that they are fighting to save the world. And this time,  against a monstrous disease. They sacrifice everything, from their own health to risking the health and well-being of their families, spending time with their family, giving up vacations, staying awake all night, all for the safety of the world. You might have already guessed the superhero that I am speaking about- the covid-19 doctors and healthcare professionals.

 In the 2020 lockdown, when the new disease called covid-19 had just emerged, we were all locked up in our respective houses. Going out was pretty risky as we might catch covid, and as you all know, covid-19 is quite a contagious disease. Even in these hard times when the air was full of coronavirus, these doctors that are no less than superheroes, gathered all their forces and dared to step out of the house and treat the people who are in need, selflessly.  Several of these warriors, even sacrificed their very own life, battling against this cruel disease. It is almost impossible to breathe in the PPE kit that they wear. I once tried to wear the PPE kit and took it off within ten minutes. I wonder how these doctors wore that PPE kit for 20-22 hours at a stretch. They definitely are the most intrepid!

Today humanity is alive because of these superheroes. Even a million thanks would be insufficient for their noble selfless work. 

And yes, this made me realize not all heroes wear capes !

-Asmi Shah