How two Bhopal children orphaned by Covid are rebuilding their lives

“I’ll be a strong girl, Daddy… without you,” she wrote in one of her poems, letting words flow in place of tears. Vanisha Pathak lost both her parents to Covid. True to her word, the Bhopal girl studied hard and scored 99.8 per cent in the CBSE Class X exam in 2021. Even in Class XI she scored 97 per cent. She wants to crack IIT. During the devastating second wave of Covid in 2021, when Vanisha’s schoolmates at Carmel Convent BHEL in Bhopal were busy preparing for exams, the 17-year-old was battling shock and agony. Complete darkness had engulfed her life. The coronavirus killed both her parents. Then, she looked at her 11-year-old brother and realised that she was all that he had. She just couldn’t let herself fall apart. She had to stay strong and focused – for her brother. “Life turned all dark, the feeling that I will never get to see my mom’s smile or will never hear my dad’s voice, that feeling was horrifying,” says Vanisha, her voice steady through what must be a whirlwind of emotions.“I've spent countless sleepless nights with tears under my blanket. I used to look at the hopeless night sky only wishing to see my parents once more. But then with each moment I became stronger keeping in mind that I have a little brother who would be more heartbroken if he saw me crying.“My maternal family, my mamaji and mamiji, stood up and took the responsibility of looking after me and my brother. I will be forever grateful for their unconditional love and sacrifices. They're doing so much so as to ensure our well being. Even my cousin brother and sister too are always there to cheer us up, ” Vanisha adds.“All these emotional hurdles that I had to manage and all the legal procedures became difficult during my studies. And I tried to focus on my studies believing that nothing is permanent these days will go away, and everything will be normal soon.”She is determined.“I have to cover my backlogs of class 11th plus I have to focus more for my IIT and boards. And I need to gather up the focus and study more seriously now, ignoring these challenges for a little while,” she says.Vanisha willed herself to go from grief to acceptance, to fight back. Her father wanted to see her in IIT or crack the UPSC and serve the nation. His dream has become her dream now. In Class X, Vanisha had scored perfect 100 in English, Sanskrit, Science and Social Science. In Maths she scored 97 per cent. Her father, Jeetendra Kumar Pathak, was a financial adviser and mother, Seema Pathak was, a government school teacher.The last time Vanisha saw them alive was when they left for hospital for a check-up, lovingly telling her, “See you soon.” That day is still raw in her mind. Her parents never returned. The last time she spoke to her mother was on May 2, 2021. She passed away on May 4, 2021. Her relatives didn’t tell Vanisha about the death because her father was still in hospital. She spoke to him for the last time on May 10, 2021. Five days later, he too passed away. Only then did her relatives tell her that she had lost both parents. She never saw her mother’s body.Vanisha had never felt helpless before. Never had she understood what it meant to be devastated. And never had she felt the “strength of responsibility”. Now she has decided to leave the past and move on. Every day, in every little thing that she does, she misses her parents. Whenever it wells up, she writes a poem. Vanisha and her brother, Vivaan, now live with their maternal uncle Ashok Kumar, a professor at Government MVM College in Bhopal.“Something as traumatic as this happens to one in a million families,” he says. “Nothing is written in black and white as to what must be done to overcome such a sudden crisis. Both the children are minors, so it is very difficult to understand what is the correct thing to do. I can help them by doing things physically, but it is so difficult to understand their inner conflicts. How do I understand what they are feeling? “My sister and brother-in-law wanted Vanisha to sit for IIT exams or get an administrative job for technocrats,” he adds. “She has always been a meritorious student. I have decided that I will do whatever is required to accomplish her parents’ wishes. She herself is studying very hard and feels that if she is able to achieve what her parents wanted for her, that would be her tribute to them. So I am also trying to give her the required resources, time and correct guidance. But the most important thing that she needs and we are giving her is moral support.” For Vanisha, the only way to look now is ahead. Her cousin Rachit Sharma, a software engineer, keeps telling Vanisha that she has to be strong and fight the challenges. “What I did was basically how any elder brother should treat their younger siblings,” Rachit says. “I tried to divert their mind from the huge problem and reality, a huge loss that they are going to face forever.”Vanisha’s brother, Vivaan, is in Class VI. He is mature enough to know that just his presence means a lot to Vanisha. He is also studying hard and secured A+ in his annual exam. He keeps his sister busy by distracting her whenever she misses her parents.“From taking care of dinner to filling the water cooler, I support my sister in her daily work,” Vivaan says. “She doesn’t take care of herself and is always busy and studying. We not only support her daily work but also support her mentally and morally. We supported her in this situation with all the power we have to keep her focused on her studies. ” Anchor: Pallavi BhartiAudio production: Prateek Kapoor