I Live In A Chawl-system And Self-Quarantine Was Not A Viable Option
My covid-recovery story is one of those feel-good stories that you might want to keep coming back! I tested positive for Covid-19 in April, and it was not something that I had anticipated. I was experiencing a severe headache for the past couple of days, after which I decided to get myself tested. However, I was a tad bit over-confident as I had gotten myself tested for corona twice back in 2020 owing to similar symptoms, and the report always turned out to be negative.
Unfortunately, it was not the case this time. I had to leave for a quarantine center as I live in a Chawl-system and self-quarantine was not a viable option.
I was heartbroken, more so, because I had never been out alone without my family. Nevertheless, my super dramatic family kept on boosting my morale from that very day.
My younger sister played a typical ‘bidayi’ song at my departure for the BMC school-turned-quarantine-center. My mother sang songs on our family WhatsApp group to cheer me up, and my father elevated my spirits by calling me a 'lioness'! It was hard to stay in a quarantine center (with a few girls) all by myself.
Nonetheless, the medical fraternity could not have been kinder. I used to wake up every day at 8:15 a.m. (pretty early for me) as tea used to arrive then, and the doctor used to visit us all at that time. My family used to send for lunch in the afternoon. The only thing to look forward to was a different juice that I could order from Swiggy every day! I took it on myself to cheer up and made feel-good content on Instagram (@peppyzindagi). My friends used to call me every day to talk and elevate my mood. Also, thanks to Netflix for helping me pass my time.
I tested negative on the seventh day as I had very mild symptoms. I was finally home on the eighth day. I even surprised my family and recorded their reaction - which received over 2 lakh views on Instagram.
Lastly, it was a painful experience for me indeed. However, I am grateful to the ever-benevolent people around who helped me overcome this horrendous phase!