“Never did I imagine what it meant to be a frontliner during the times of COVID.”

As constable Vishnu Pratap, Mumbai Colaba branch said, "I live here alone because honestly I don't have so much a salary to be able to sustain a family in this mayanagri. But I never minded it because I used to go to my village during my leaves and meet my family.

But with COVID everything has changed.

I have been working without a single leave since the past 5 months since February. I have not seen my children for so long. How are they? Are they managing well? My daughter needed a stomach surgery, and I had thought I will get it done this year; and now I haven’t even been able to hold her in my arms and soothe her paining stomach.

Last I met her, and my family, was after the new year because we don't even get holidays on the 31st December.

I come from Jejuri, a holy land. But right now it is not just possible for me to even travel for 3-4 hours to get to my home and meet my family--the workload is so much. And it is just not me but even my colleagues. I talk to my kids on call but that’s it. I wish I could've been there with them and be a nice father to them during these tough times."

"I don't know how many more months this is going to last. 

These 5 months have been really stressful for me and I think it will stay so for a few more months to come. The pandemic is increasing our work and I don’t see getting leaves earlier. 

EITHER I QUIT OR I WORK WITHOUT COMPLAINING, THESE ARE MY CHOICES.

I don’t think I will survive this pandemic--just the overwork, workload, longing for my family will kill me if the virus doesn’t,” he added.