INVISIBLE AND INVINCIBLE

Humanity has seen so many pandemics in the past; and so many true stories fading away in time. One such pandemic knocked the world silently veiled in the year 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, was much more than a global health crisis. It pierced the depths of human sufferings. It faded the distinction between an ordinary and an extra-ordinary and brought everyone to the ground; to face sufferings in equal magnitude. I remained the in-charge of RT-PCR laboratory that was given the responsibility of haunting the invisible enemy till the time it faded to the invincible strength of life. That was a long period, and a writer in me, hiding behind a doctor, was drawn not to the statistics, but to the realities that shook my core ? these were the real-life stories of fear, of courage, of loss, and of hope.
Invisible and Invincible began as my confrontation of the realities of life. These were penned down in the quiet hours of introspection. I wanted to understand what it truly meant to live life ? and sometimes to succumb to a virus that redefined our existence and reshaped our perceptions. I chose three powerful narratives, each grounded in reality, each reflecting a different dimension of a war that an invisible enemy raged with human spirits.
While turning these pages forward, you will meet:
? Captain Arvind Oswal, once a warrior of skies: And his silent Good bye during the Pandemic?
? The indomitable Sareshta Jamwal. ?A woman who now lives alone in the world!?
? Subrata Borah Chowlek: ?A Revenant woman who fought death and returned back to her family?
They are not the celebrities. They are all quiet fighters who discovered invincibility in their resilience that emerged from their pain and sufferings. I had no intention as a writer to dramatize anything. I wrote it to remember. To remind all of you that behind every mask, there was a being; breathing. Through my book, I want to preserve the legacy of those whose courage illuminated one of the darkest chapters of our time. If even one story in this book makes you pause, reflect, or feel less alone, then my efforts have served the purpose.
-Amrish Sarup Kohli.