An 80-something-year-old woman wearing a mask offered a striking contrast to other women around her who were not following Covid norms in the premises of the Shahpur State Bank of India (SBI) branch, observed Chainpur police inspector R.R. Shahi, talking to The Telegraph Online in Palamau on Wednesday.
“I could not resist folding my hands as a mark of deep respect and admiration for this lady the other day,” said Shahi, who has requested Plamau SP Ajay Linda to make the octogenarian a mask mascot.
Shahi said the woman, who had come collect her pension, had a mask on her face throughout.
“I noticed her amidst other younger women, who were either not wearing masks, or were covering their faces with the corners of their sarees. I reprimanded them and asked them to wear proper masks, when the old woman took the lead and asked- tu ne sab kahey na pahne hi maskwa (Why do you people not wear masks?),” he said.
He said the woman also narrated the benefits of wearing masks, adding that he marvelled at her wisdom.
The woman, who declined to be named and has a stiff upper lip attitude towards life, stated that an old woman like her should only be taken as an example of indomitable courage.
She added that she enjoys wearing a mask while out on the street.
A different episode was narrated by sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Sadar Sandip Kumar Gupta, said he came across half a dozen young boys and girls gossiping away at Redma Chowk, all without wearing masks.
“They were looking in each other’s eyes to seek and show their love,” he said.
“When scolded, the girls were the first to pull out and wear the facemasks, while the boys began to look for some new alibi for not wearing them,” he added.
The SDPO said that the boys weren’t asked to do sit-ups in front of the girls, but were all given a strict final warning.
“My tone was aggressive but not offensive. The boys understood it. It was for their own health and that of others too,” he said.
SP Palamau Ajay Linda narrated an incident where two young women in sarees without masks were walking hand in hand.
“I interrupted the women as to where they were going, and one them, who was carrying a passbook, almost shot back at me saying ‘Can’t you see we are going to the bank?’,” he said.
As soon as they realised they were talking to an SP, they pulled out their handkerchiefs and covered their faces, since the cloth wasn’t large enough to be tied around their heads.
The Telegraph Online spoke to a section of people regarding mask wearing and got a variety of responses.
“Ka hoga hawa mey hai corona. Naak to bahar hee rahta hai. Kaan bhi khoola hai (The coronavirus is in the air. After all, the nose and ears remain exposed),” said one, while another said masks fog up spectacles.
“Helmet aur mask lagta hai oxygen ghat jayega (It feels like the intake of oxygen is reduced while wearing helmets and masks,” said another.
Officer-in-charge of Chainpur police station Sunit Kumar said “I believe that barring the reluctance of a few ignorant people, Chainpur and adjoining areas have a high incidence of mask wearing.”
