Mukund Mishra / Lucknow

In the environment of gloom and doom, Nandita Pandit, a violinist, and her family discovered the power of art and ways of keeping the mind focused on positive things to tilt the balance against the dreaded Covid-19 virus.

Nandita Pandit and her husband Keshav Pandit, both in their mid-fifties and residents of Mahanagar area of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, had contracted the viral infection last month. Nandita is a musician who teaches children how to play the violin and Keshav a theatre artist.

Nandita said one day her husband came home after finishing the day's work and went off to sleep immediately. In the middle of the night, Keshav woke up with a high fever. The next morning, he was sick with his fever and body pain. For the next three days, Keshav was treated as a case of normal fever but when the disease continued doctors asked him to get tested for Covid-19. 

Keshav had tested positive. The domestic helped stopped coming to their house. Both Nandita and Keshav quarantined themselves in separate rooms with their daughter taking care of them and feeding them a balanced diet that played in role in their fast recovery.

In the meanwhile, Nandita had also tested positive.

Beating the Virus

Nandita could drown herself in self-pity and cry over pain, fever and isolation. She decided to stay positive and active. She continued teaching her students online. 

In between reading books and listening to her favourite music, Nandita played her favourite numbers on the violin filling the house with music and happiness.

The family shut their minds on social media that brought all sorts of news and unwanted information about Covid-19; the trio went on a social media boycott during their recovery period.

Nandita says she knew it’s important for the three of them to stay positive to recover from the disease.

On the other hand, Keshav kept in touch with his family and friends on phone. He also read all the books he had always wanted to but never had time for.

Nandita and her husband recovered within 15 days as they tested negative. Nandita believes staying positive had played a major role in their quick recovery.

The family is yet to find the person who would religiously place packed food parcels for three of them on the threshold of their house every day. 

The food packed in disposable material would be topped with a handwritten note in Hindi announcing it was Ghar ka Khana' (Home-cooked food) and another one wishing the family a speedy recovery.