From the Editor’s Desk

28 July 2021

Namaskar. Although belatedly, we would like to take this opportunity to send you ‘poshteh’ for Zyeth Aetham. Deeply venerated by Kashmiri Pandits as the time to worship our presiding deity, Mata Maharagnya, this is one of the most hallowed of religious festivals for us. Celebrations were unsurprisingly muted this year though. 

On May 6, according to the ‘Our world in data’, India’s COVID-19 cases peaked at 414,188 cases and between April 4 and June 6 more than 100,000 cases were reported each day. Almost all of us know someone who was directly affected. The scenes of devastation were not for the faint-hearted, with people literally gasping for breath and the healthcare system crumbling faster than a house of cards. Delhi was particularly worse off, with Jammu close on its heels, and with that we saw our Kashmiri community disproportionately affected. Naad, a monthly magazine of the All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), published a heartbreaking, 9-page list of biradari members we lost in a single month. Never have so many loved ones been lost in such a short span, to one catastrophic event. 

India, like many ‘developed’ countries was unprepared for the spiralling cases and the speed of contagion but a shortage of essential supplies, be they timely oxygen, life-saving drugs or equipment to treat COVID-19 patients, were some of the reasons it was left crippled. It would’ve been an even bigger disaster if not for the many armies of volunteers, who left no stone unturned to find and provide support for patients and their families, giving them a chance of survival. Our community members across the globe were exemplary in their altruism. Our physicians worked through the night, finding precious minutes from their ward rounds in their day jobs and giving up their sleep to treat patients in many parts of India via video calls. Today, we would like to acknowledge and thank their selfless work and tireless efforts. There are so many to name but Dr Sundeep Kaul, Dr Urmi Raina, Dr Anju Raina, Dr Ram Ganjoo, Dr Nikhil Ganjoo and Dr Shivani Dudha shone especially bright even when they were dealing with their own loss and heartache. We remain forever indebted to you all.

Individuals deal with adversity and grief differently and through our volunteers, even those from non-medical backgrounds, we have witnessed how each one of them have given so much to a common cause. Whether it was finding a non‑existent ICU bed in Delhi, oxygen cylinders or concentrators, amphotericin B, a meal, someone to look after the children or just be there at the other end of the phone as an empathetic voice to provide succour, they did all they could to keep hope alive. Our young volunteers, barely in their teenage years, consistently went over and above what was required and helped someone in need, always following up and closing the loop. Saisha, Siddhi and Vidhisha – you have all led by example and achieved more in these few months than many ever will in decades of their lives. May Mata Ragnya bless you all. 

We are particularly proud of the fundraising effort by Amit Kachroo and team which saw more than half a million pounds generated in donations over a span of just a few days that helped provide oxygen concentrators and other medical devices to so many people across India. Well done to the O2C team and the many other fundraisers our community managed.  Every little helps.

This edition of ISBUND is a tribute to Tulmul, the divine place of worship in Kashmir that is home to our beloved Mother, Maa Kheer Bhavani, who we hold so dearly in our hearts and to celebrate our COVID-19 volunteering efforts.

As Sigmund Freud said in 1895 ‘I think this man is suffering from memories’, let’s hope to keep the good ones alive in our collective memories and learn from the ones we much rather forget. 

Sheetal & Shivani

Editors: ISBUND

Read the full issue here.