Policemen, firemen, doctors will remain on duty to serve society

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 3

Being a part of Diwali celebrations for every single family and yet not taking active part in the festival is the biggest irony for them. While everyone else will be in a holiday mood on Thursday, the duties for them will multiply, putting a squeeze on the little time they have for their families.

Saying that it’s 24-hour duty for them as they are responsible for any mishap at any time in their respective beats, a woman cop, Shalini, said there is no Diwali for them as such… of course they can burst crackers at their place of posting in the open, but this festival is more of a family affair than anything else. “As everybody knows that on a day like Diwali there has to be extra vigilance in all areas, it’s our duty and we swore to do it when joining the force. So there are no two ways about it,” she says.

Having a similar story to tell, a fireman, Mohan Lal, said, “Fire is almost a synonym with Diwali and to have a festival of lights with no fire mishap is almost an impossible thing”. Saying that a celebration or a holiday on Diwali is simply out of question as they are supposed to take extra measures to combat fire incidents, he recalled his early years when his children were small, they used to crib and throw tantrums to make him come home.

However, for paramilitary force personnel, most of them do not have families staying with them because the majority come from places away from their posting places. A guard deployed on security duty of a local official adds: “I can still enjoy a few festive moments with the family I’m working for.”

Believing in the duty before self adage, the doctors, too, have to remain away from their families on festivals. Saying, “duty is duty”, a leading orthopaedic, Dr SK Agrawal, feels that serving the patients is in itself the true celebration of Diwali. He said: “The family is always there, but somebody has to come forward to help society in such situations.”

On Diwali day, single people often bear the brunt of duty, perhaps unfairly. On the excuse that there’s no one waiting for them, most of the outsider business process outsourcing (BPO) employees serving here are busy making plans with friends in similar situations.