Oh my god, Swine flu

Despite health authorities asking everyone to wear masks for safety, Ketan Ranga invited curious glances and was turned away at populated places, assuming he had contracted the H1N1 virus

Despite health authorities asking everyone to wear masks for safety, Ketan Ranga invited curious glances and was turned away at populated places, assuming he had contracted the H1N1 virus

Bharatmata signal 5.20 pm

When I stood at the signal, people looked at me as if I had swine flu and I would transmit the disease to others. I asked the traffic policeman for directions to go to Lower Parel.

He told me to go straight and immediately turned his face away. His colleague covered his face with a handkerchief.

Instinctive: This man covered his nose and mouth after looking at Ketan.

While crossing the road, a lady who was coming in my direction, covered her face with her dupatta and moved away from me.

Instead of keeping her eye on the cars plying on the road, she kept staring at me.

High Street Phoenixu00a05.45 to 6.15 pm

As I entered the compound, a couple stared at me and said, "He must have got swine flu."

When I stood in the queue to buy some snacks, everyone moved away from the spot. I then decided to sit on a bench that was occupied by an old lady.

The lady told the man sitting next to her, "Swine flu cases are on the rise. People have started wearing masks and those with symptoms are treated at Kasturba Hospital. A woman died because of swine flu on Saturday.

We need to be careful."

Not Green With Envy: The woman in the green salwar kameer too covered her mouth on spotting Ketan

I got up and walked towards some stores inside the mall. In the corridor, a boy walked up to me and asked, "Aapko swine flu hua hai kya?"

When I replied in the negative and said that the mask was a precaution, the boy said, "I will get one for myself."

At another outlet, a girl opened the door and shouted, "Oh my God, swine flu" and ran to her friends who were some distance away.
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Another man asked, "Have you got cancer? My brother has cancer and he wore such a mask."

Some people began talking about swine flu when I went to buy track pants. On my way out, an old man hurriedly removed his handkerchief and covered his face.

Worli Seaface 6.30 pm

A huge crowd had gathered at the seaface since it was a Sunday.
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A couple who was engrossed in talking to each other shifted some distance away and spoke about swine flu the moment I sat next to them.

Split Wide Open: These two women who were walking side-by-side immediately parted on seeing our reporter

As I walked along the stretch, two ladies pointed at me and said, "Swine Fluuuuuuuuuuu..." A child who was seated on the bench asked me, "Why are you wearing this mask?"

His mother added, "Is it because of the flu?" When I told them it was a precaution, the boy's father said, "We must also get these masks for us."

Dadar station 7 pm

As I waited for the 7.06 pm CST train, a boy looked me over from top to down. Though he kept his distance, he didn't stop staring.

When his friends joined him, they pointed at me and started murmuring among themselves.

Mumbai Scared: There were similar reactions at Dadar station, in the train and at Parel

Inside the train, when I asked a middle-aged man to shift, he refused. He asked me to find another seat. He then told other passengers, "Inko swine flu hua hoga.

Ek insaan ka death bhi hua hai. Yeh Pune se chalu hua hai." Another man said, "Nahin, jo log bahargaon se aayein hain, woh leke aayein hain."
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Fifteen minutes later, outside Parel station, I got into a taxi to come to work. The driver asked me about the mask.

When I told him the reason for wearing the mask, he said he was unaware of the disease and the precautions. When I told him he should be careful, he replied, "Saheb, jab marna likha hoga, tab marenge."