My father passed away this morning. He was #COVID positive.

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः। न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः॥
ॐ शान्ति।। 🙏
His last days were on a hospital bed, on oxygen.
He spent his working life setting up oxygen units at hospitals. His work at PGIMR Chandigarh in mid-1960s drew attention of Tatas. He shifted to Jamshedpur where he set up O2 unit at TMH and other hospitals. It was his passion.
My father was rarely home. My early memories of him were of endless tours of outstation hospitals to install, check, repair O2 lines. He and his labour gang would rush out at odd hours to attend to leaks and blocks. The phone at home would usually receive urgent calls from TMH.
Those were low technology days. Something like a pressure gauge had to be sourced from a particular shop in Calcutta which imported them. He would go personally to check and buy.
In a sense, his life came full circle as he breathed his last hooked to an O2 pipe.
I will never get to meet the ambulance driver who shifted him to hospital, after putting him on O2, with care. My gratitude to him.
And my gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff who tried their best, eased his pain, and remained by his side till the end.
My brother and I decided not to use the ventilator that was offered with no hope of survival. That machine would have been needlessly blocked. Better a #COVID19 patient with higher chances should get it. Baba would have wanted it that way. My late mother would have approved.
We have decided not to burden the harried folks at the local cremation ground by insisting on last rites etc, and adding to the crowds there. The municipal authorities will be booking a slot at the electric crematorium and do the needful with full #COVID protocol, likely tonight.
My sincere thanks to all who reached out. You have been a huge support. We bade farewell to my father when his body was taken from hospital for cremation. He was cremated at the local electric crematorium at midnight. The kind crematorium staff have sent us the cert on WA.
🙏🙏🙏

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More from @KanchanGupta

2 May
So why did they delete tweet? Are foreign missions hoarding oxygen? NZ High Commission @NZinIndia
must make public statement if any NZ diplomat or NZ staff posted in Delhi is down with @COVID19 and @MEAIndia did not respond.
In absence of statement we must assume it is hoarding. Image
But for whom is @NZinIndia trying to "arrange for oxygen cylinders urgently"? Who needs them?
Was @MEAIndia contacted? Image
Did @NZinIndia open its gates? The New Zealand High Commission must tell
1. Whom did they ask the oxygen for?
2. Did they contact MEA prior to public appeal?
3. If yes, what was MEA response?
[I won't even ask where are IYC folks getting O2 in Delhi even as ICUs are running dry.] Image
Read 5 tweets
27 Mar
Point of departure between Indira Gandhi and AB Vajpayee was Jana Sangh’s demand for immediate recognition of Provisional Govt of Bangladesh.
ABV and BJS fully acknowledged Indira Gandhi’s role in liberation of #Bangladesh. So did PM @narendramodi in Dhaka. Read
#ModiInBangladesh
India’s support to Mukti Bahini was covert. India took in 10 million refugees fleeing Pakistan Army genocide. Indira Gandhi launched a global campaign. India’s military intervention began Dec 3 and ended Dec 16 1971. #India immediately recognised #Bangladesh.
#ModiInBangladesh
Untold story of 1971 is how #USSR dilly-dallied over backing #India on #Bangladesh Liberation War. Kremlin and CPSU were split. There was great hesitation in Moscow as many did not want to upset US-Soviet detente. #US was backing #Pakistan and ignored genocide.
#ModiInBangladesh
Read 5 tweets
26 Mar
'Academics' just don't realise that the Internet has radically changed the world and 'knowledge' is no longer their preserve, privilege and prerogative.
Jana Sangh rally in support of recognising Bangladesh 25 May 1971. Courtesy: AP Archives.
Do share freely.
#ModiInBangladesh
PM @narendramodi mentions his participation in Bharatiya Jana Sangh rally of 25 May 1971 in support of recognising #Bangladesh in a book be wrote in 1978. 'Scholarship' is slightly more than copy-pasting from sarkari archives or regurgitating known stuff.
#ModiInBangladesh
'Scholarship' is not about turning up your nose at documents that exist beyond your charmed little circle of know-alls. Govt of #Bangladesh in this citation acknowledged the role of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as president of Jana Sangh in supporting #Liberation War.
#ModiInBangladesh
Read 5 tweets
21 Feb
There was no optimism in 1991 through 1996 on account of PV Narasimha Rao's reforms. Indian (crony) industry formed 'Bombay Club' to oppose pro-free market reforms. Unions were protesting in the streets. Harshad Mehta was scamming a fake bubble market. Inflation kept shooting.
1n
Congress did not rally behind 1991 reforms. A Congress intellectual now close to Nehru Darbar had floated the line that the reforms would serve India's 'Coca-Cola Class'. Media went to town over undisclosed IMF conditionalities. Congress lost elections in State after State. 2n
To foist the claim that the 1991 reforms "spread optimism and hope across India" is a travesty. Had there been "optimism and hope" then Congress would not have lost the 1996 Lok Sabha election. Such bogus claims can be made because public memory is short. 3n
Read 7 tweets
1 Feb
When my Twitter account, along with that of @ShivAroor and others, was blocked by Congress/UPA under draconian Section 66A, several 'journalists' supported Govt's order. A senior UPA Minister told me some of them had collaborated with Govt in drawing up the list. 1n
More. A digital free speech activist, who receives handsome foreign funds, sat in on meetings to help Congress/UPA Govt justify its patently unjustifiable ban. Later, he had the gumption to tell me how he had fought tooth and nail. Which, of course, was bunkum. I told him so. 2n
When confronted about the ban in Washington, DC by prominent mediapersons and lawmakers, India's then Ambassador to US brazenly justified the ban. The diplomat's colleagues in MEA were appalled. 3n
Read 5 tweets
30 Nov 20
Media salaries used to be protected by Government of India appointed Wage Board which fixed and periodically revised wage rates based on circulation figures. Journalists (and press workers) in big papers would get paid more for same work done by journalists in small papers. 1n
To cheat on salaries many big papers would either submit fake lower circulation figures or float separate companies and hive off editions. One big paper was believed to have set up two separate companies for City Edition and Late City Edition. 2n
Govt Wage Board also ensured no journalist or press worker could be sacked or workforce reduced. This became a problem for newspaper owners as old printing tech began to give way to new tech, starting with photo typesetting replacing hot metal typesetting. 3n
Read 10 tweets

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