‘Long working hours’ would be an understatement when describing the schedule of frontline workers in India. Pune-based clinical psychologist Dr. Radhika Bapat has observed them carrying out their duties, in difficult conditions and for prolonged periods, without the comfort of being able to confide in those closest to them. “They have had to spend months without seeing loved ones in order to keep their families safe. This can really take a toll [on their mental health].” 

Since last year, and especially during the damaging second wave of coronavirus, frontliners including medical workers, cops, bankers, and NGO staff have been labouring tirelessly to help out. “The pandemic has resulted in significant loss of friends, colleagues, and family members,” says Dr Uma Chandrika Millner, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Psychology and Applied Therapies at Lesley University. “In addition to that, frontline workers have been worried about their own health and that of their loved ones while serving other people. This fear and anxiety of illness and death looms large in their lives.”