Move to etch Covid battle in history through memorial, postal cover

Efforts are on to etch in history the biggest ever health challenge of the 21st century and the human’s fight against it, through a memorial centre, a special postal cover and a place in school syllabus.

Close on the heels of the West Bengal government’s decision to build a memorial centre for Covid warriors and to include the pandemic in school syllabus, the Kolkata circle of the postal department came up with a special cover to pay tribute to the front-line workers battling the virus.

The special cover depicts the services rendered by healthcare personnel, police, civic body workers and postal workers braving the pandemic to ensure that life goes on.

“The unprecedented Covid-19 has brought enormous hardship to the entire society. In the fight against the pandemic, the role played by health workers, police personnel and civil administration is tremendous. India Post too played a very crucial role in the difficult times by reaching critical items and facilitating banking operations. India Post salutes the Brave Hearts of Bengal for their tireless fight,” it said.

About 1,000 special covers were printed in the first lot which can be purchased at ₹20 each.

The Kerala circle of the department earlier released a similar postal cover to salute the indomitable human spirit against the pandemic.

After the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the Indian Post Department had released a similar philately material for the posterity to remember the tragedy. The postal department comes up with such commemorative materials to mark all important events.

The postal cover was just among a slew of measures taken to commemorate the human’s fight against the virus.

The West Bengal’s Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) too has earmarked a plot of land in Kolkata’s New Town area to set up a memorial to honour Covid warriors who had fallen prey to the virus.

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Altogether 198 doctors have died in India fighting the virus, according to statistics released by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) earlier this month. Besides, several police personnel and other frontline workers have succumbed to Covid-19.

The West Bengal government further decided to include a text on the pandemic and its effects in school syllabus from academic session 2021-22. State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee recently urged the expert committee of school education to frame the contents in consultation with virologists, epidemiologists, physicians and others.

The 12-member expert committee advises the government on the content of the curriculum from pre-primary to Class 12.

The move is to create awareness about the pandemic among the children and to remain prepared against any future outbreak of pandemic, the education minister said.