The vaccination sewa

By Jagdesh Singh | OPINION |

The situation in India is really dire. Reports coming in paint a picture of chaos, despair, and helplessness. It’s as if a huge bomb of the Covid-19 exploded within her walls and there’s no way to hide or protect yourself from it. While she tries to vaccinate her citizens fast, her sheer size unfortunately disables her outreach. Stories of makeshift cremation grounds, of funerals conducted while being attended by close family and friends through their digital and virtual devices are now appearing in our daily lives.

Not unlike many catastrophes that have happened within our lifetimes, there’s the ray of humanity that shines piercingly through the despair, giving many like us hope. Sikh Gurudwaras in the larger Indian metropolitans have provided daily langgar with oxygen tanks as their main offering. Thousands of people of all faith have desperately flocked to these oxygen oases, their faces show desperation and relief at the same time as they gasped for oxygen from the tanks.

Meanwhile, the vaccines to help us avoid suffering from the deadly symptoms of the Covid-19 are now getting more and more available in almost every country. In Malaysia, as well, albeit at a slower vaccination rate compared to our neighbors.

However, some of us are a little hesitant about vaccinating ourselves. The way these vaccines were brought into use at such a rapid speed has sown doubts in many of us. Then there’s this distrust we have on the greedy Big Pharmas, imagining that they’re milking the pandemic for a whirlwind of profit.

Some of us have seen people within our circles of community hardly experiencing any debilitating symptoms after having contracted the Covid-19, and seem to hedge our bets that we would be able to weather it like the common cold. This is despite the mountain of evidence proving that our chances of suffering and even dying, no matter our age or how healthy we are, from Covid-19 can be pretty high and random.

Then there’s the side effects from the vaccination, because something that normally takes longer to make is usually half-baked when rushed. Especially vaccines. Would the new vaccines’ side effects be more harmful? There’s no evidence either way, at the moment.

It’s a numbers game now. The more of us get vaccinated, the lesser the chance or risk that someone close to us will contract the coronavirus. While getting ourselves vaccinated will definitely decrease the chances of us contracting the deadly disease, even more to decrease the severity of it if we do contract after, the more important reason is that it significantly decreases the risk of those close to us contracting it. The more vulnerable ones like your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties, close elderly neighbors, diabetic family member, asthmatic cousin, etc. When we vaccinate ourselves, we’re actually saving these beloved people of ours.

If you think about it, when we’re doing everything we can to avoid those around us to suffer and die from a horrible disease, like vaccinating ourselves, we are actually performing our duty or sewa as a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, a friend, a human, and as a Sikh.

But, of course, like any other service or sewa, you are neither obliged nor compelled to do it. You have the freedom of choice. You will need to arm yourself to make that choice, you also have a duty to understand implications to yourself and your family. If you’re unsure, exploring and researching more with your friendly doctor or anyone in the medical line is the least you can do before you embark on this sewa. Be comfortable when making that decision.

To me personally, this sewa is as vital or as important as being that same sewadar in a Gurudwara in Delhi now rushing to carry a tank of oxygen to his dying neighbor waiting in his car outside of the Gurudwara. You’re saving a life, just like how this sewadar is.

I can’t wait to get vaccinated.

ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |