<\/p>\n
Surat was catapulted to global spotlight\u2014though for all the wrong reasons. The plague outbreak had triggered fear, stigma and near-hysteria across and beyond the country.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a brand-new Associate Professor — armed with exactly one year of experience\u2014and about 100+ years\u2019 worth of excitement, was getting ready for his first official air travel\u2026 <\/strong>that\u2019s me!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let me be clear\u2014this is not a lesson in epidemic management. This is a story about panic, <\/strong>perception\u2026 and a few unintended VIP privileges.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n At that time, I was attached to the Medical Superintendent\u2019s office but at that time it was headed by the Commissioner of Health, Gujarat (a senior IAS officer). One fine day, I was assigned what sounded like a very serious responsibility: Transport sera samples from 700 suspected plague patients to NICD, Delhi.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What I heard, however, was: \u201cCongratulations, you\u2019re flying\u2014on government expense.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was ordered to board a morning flight from Vadodara. Necessary orders were faxed everywhere and tickets were procured. Since Surat had no airport, I travelled to Vadodara and was put up at the Circuit House. The manager, unsure of who exactly was arriving, played it safe and gave me the VIP suite. <\/strong>I did not correct him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After all, in a plague outbreak, even confusion deserves respect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At boarding, the inevitable question came, \u201cWhat\u2019s inside the box?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, the honest answer\u2014serum samples from suspected plague patients<\/em>\u2014didn\u2019t seem like a great way to ensure a smooth flight.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, I said, calmly, \u201cVaccines for plague.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sera were containing only the antibodies akin to vaccines. Technically I was correct, scientifically backed up and socially convenient.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And just like that\u2014I was cleared to board.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At Delhi, a vehicle from Gujarat Bhawan received me\u2014again demonstrating an unexpected level of generosity. I was allotted a suite usually reserved for senior bureaucrats and politicians. Uncertainty<\/em>, I realized, is the fastest route to luxury.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That evening, I called a few old friends. The moment they heard I had come from Surat\u2026 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n On the return journey, the flight halted at Ahmedabad. An air hostess, clearly uneasy, advised passengers to wear masks\u2014because, well\u2026, \u201cHoshiyaar! Aap<\/em> Gujarat mein hain! (Attention you are in Gujarat)\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n When she came to serve tea, I couldn\u2019t help but stir up a little mischief and said in a casual tone, \u201cI\u2019m from Surat Medical College\u2014just delivered patient samples in Delhi.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her expression changed instantly- as I was expecting! From hospitality to hostility— from a trained stance to high-alert bio-surveillance mode.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n For the rest of the journey\u2026She maintained a very safe distance<\/em> from my row — was getting ready– And kept looking at me like I was\u2026 The Sample<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following week, another colleague was sent with samples. Same question at the airport: <\/p>\n Result? — Denied boarding– Redirected to train travel — And a bonus scolding from seniors: <\/p>\n Soon enough, wisdom prevailed. Trains like Rajdhani and August Kranti were chosen over flights as they reached Delhi overnight\u2014making them cheaper, simpler and far less interrogative. So, the system corrected itself. Samples went by train. Calm returned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next time I was asked to accompany the samples\u2026 I politely declined.<\/p>\n Because by then: Scientific duty \u2014 done\u2026 National service \u2014 fulfilled\u2026 an official flight \u2014 successfully enjoyed. Fateh Haasil (victory achieved)<\/em>!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Viruses spread fast\u2014but fear spreads faster. Leadership is what decides which one we control.<\/p>\n And in the middle of all the chaos, a young doctor quietly discovered two things: Panic travels faster than pathogens and sometimes, the real upgrade isn\u2019t the flight\u2014 <\/p>\n Sincere thanks to Ms. Sudeshna, my colleague at Gujarat SACS, for improving the language and adding the punches, here, there and everywhere.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Surat was catapulted to global spotlight\u2014though for all the wrong reasons. The plague outbreak had triggered fear, stigma and near-hysteria across and beyond the country. Meanwhile, a brand-new Associate Professor — armed with exactly one year of experience\u2014and about<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":902089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[373],"class_list":["post-902088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-invited-blogs","tag-publichealthcrisis"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902088"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":902092,"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902088\/revisions\/902092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/902089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/iapsm.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Accidental VIP!<\/h2>\n
The Airport moment!<\/h3>\n
Delhi: Where fear travels faster than flights<\/h3>\n
\ntheir enthusiasm went into quarantine. Meeting? \u2026.. Coffee?\u00a0 \u2026.. Even conversation? I heard them hesitate.<\/em> Some sounded so cautious on the phone, you\u2019d think that the infection could travel through telephone wires.<\/p>\nThe flight back<\/h3>\n
The honest man who couldn\u2019t fly<\/h3>\n
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d <\/strong>He answered truthfully, \u201cBlood samples from plague patients.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u201cHow did Pradeep manage, and you could not?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe Grand Realization<\/h3>\n
And Me?<\/h3>\n
Final Thought<\/h3>\n
\nit\u2019s the story you bring back!<\/p>\n