A doctor in Assam is not just treating Covid patients, he is also dancing for them. A video of Dr Arup Senapati dancing in his PPE kit to send a “positive message” to patients is winning wide praise, both for his moves and his gesture.

Dr Senapati, who is doing his MS (ENT) from Silchar Medical College, had danced to the Ghungroo number from the movie War starring Hrithik Roshan, who retweeted the video with the message: “Tell Dr Arup I’m gonna learn his steps and dance as good as him someday in Assam. Terrific spirit.”

By 11pm on Monday, the video had over 2.6 million views, 93,100 likes, 3,300 comments and over 18,800 retweets.

Stand-up comedian Abhineet Mishra was among those who responded to his Facebook post, saying “this energy of him and several others are keeping us going”.

34-year-old Senapati, who is in home quarantine after his Covid duty ended on Sunday evening, is on cloud nine.

He told The Telegraph that the response to the video and the messages and incessant calls he had been receiving were “simply” unbelievable.

“I too had posted the video on Facebook, but my colleague (Syed Faizan Ahmad) posted it on Twitter with the message that I was dancing in front of Covid patients to make them feel happy. It went viral after it was retweeted by Hrithik sir,” he said.

Dance has been Senapati’s passion since his childhood. He is not a trained dancer, but was hooked to the videos of Michael Jackson and Hrithik. He used to participate in inter-institutional dance competitions and won a few.

Dr Arup Senapati grooves to the Ghungroo number Sourced by The Telegraph

“Hrithik sir has been my hero since childhood, an inspiration since Kaho Na Pyar Hai…. The video is my humble effort to cheer those affected by Covid and my colleagues before going into quarantine,” Senapati said while inviting the actor to Assam.

Hailing from Shantipur in Guwahati, the son of a former SBI official, Senapati took the opportunity to send another message to everyone: “Don’t lower your guard. The infection rate may be coming down, but the war against Covid is not over yet. Please follow all Covid protocols and stay safe.”

Before joining the Silchar Medical College on September 12, he was working as a medical and health official for six years in Goalpara district where he was actively involved in Covid management.

“It is an unprecedented and painful situation. Only those directly impacted know how painful the situation can get. The condition of a Covid patient changes in no time. We have experienced it. Therefore, it is important that we don’t lower our guard against Covid-19,” he added.