'If the city had to move, we had to move first'

When the lockdown was announced on March 24 I like most essential workers knew that my work had only just begun I wont call myself brave but I am not someone who fears death either Being a BEST bus driver has been fulfilling Thanks to this job which I have been doing 15 years I have been able to get my two daughters Vidya and Veena educated and marriedMy 28yearold son Vikas is currently pursuing medicine in Delhi I owe everything to it And so despite the fear of contracting the virus I didnt hesitate to step out We were needed most since all other public services in Mumbai had come to a grinding halt If the city had to move we had to move firstMine was an eighthour shift and I drove on Route No 39 While I live in a Bhandup chawl work took me in the opposite direction Id drive the bus out from the Majas depot in Goregaon from where Id head to Seepz Mahim and Dadar all the way up to Worli Since its a long route I always ensured that I took adequate precaution Before getting on to the bus Id sanitise every single object that I used including the drivers seat the wheel and the horn I never travelled without my mask or glovesEverything was going smoothly In fact April and May went by without a hitch But I was ferrying a lot of frontline workers including the police and medical staff Any safety measure would have only helped to an extentOn June 20 I woke up with body ache and fever I called in sick and visited a general physician who gave me a threeday medicine course The fever was under control for a while but by the fourth day it shot up again The doctor asked me to get blood tests done but before the results could come my condition got worse I was having difficulty breathing On the doctors advice I rushed to MT Agrawal Hospital in Mulund where I was admitted and my samples were taken for COVID19 Though the test results were expected the following day because of my symptoms I was quarantined in a section of the building But the condition at the centre was terribleThere was one nurse doing the rounds and she barely attended to me The next few hours were draining I was feeling weak and breathless It was a neardeath experience I called up my son in Delhi and told him that if I stayed there any longer I wouldnt make it He didnt know how to help so I asked him to approach my bossPaikade was on oxygen support during the entire length of his hospital stayThat very day an ambulance came put me on a stretcher and rushed me to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri As soon as I got there the staff fitted an oxygen mask and wheeled me into the ICUAfter that everything was a haze I woke up 17 days later I was on ventilator all that while and from what the nursing staff told me my chances of survival had been next to nil Until before this I had never been hospitalised I did not even have diabetes or blood pressure The doctors said that having no comorbidities had worked in my favourFrom them I also learnt that my wife Nanda had tested positive two days after me and had been at a quarantine centre in Kanjurmarg My daughters live outside Mumbai and my son was advised not to return until either of us came home My condition was still critical I continued to be in hospital for the next 45 days and had an oxygen mask the whole time I was experiencing shortness of breath Each time I had to visit the bathroom I had to remove the mask It would feel like someone had sucked the air out of me There was also no phone range in my ward For oneandahalf months I had no contact with familyWhile that made me anxious I was mentally preparing for the worst I had no regrets about catching the infection It had happened while I was on duty Also to be honest the BEST authorities and the hospital staff had done everything possible to keep me alive At the time Remdesivir the lifesaving drug was in short supply in the market Despite all the difficulties they faced they procured it for me I am grateful to themBy the time I returned home I had been in hospital for 60 days This week on Wednesday I stepped out for the first time after the stipulated quarantine period I visited my depot officer and the medical officer I had to catch my breath each time I took a flight of stairs but I somehow managedA full recovery is a long way ahead I dont think I can get behind the wheel again There is a possibility that I might have to resign as I am not fit for strenuous work But every single day feels like a gift right nowKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news