Docs, not gods

KOCHI: “I am not a God due to this service, I am not a machine to work tirelessly, I am not a dummy to get beaten. Please, see me as a human,” quotes final year MBBS student, Ananthakrishnan Prasad in his new rap song Dr. Deivam. The track is the result of an artistic protest by the students of Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, addressing the assault on doctors across the country.

Ever since the pandemic outbreak, for a year now, Covid warriors are working relentlessly to keep the strained health care system turning, putting their lives and families at risk. But, the frontline warriors are rewarded little for this. Instead, they are being attacked and beaten. 

Ananthakrishnan and his friends took time out of exam preparations to voice their concerns through a rap video. “The assault on a doctor in Assam was the immediate trigger. Attack on doctors has always been a long-standing issue. In the last few months, multiple such instances were reported from Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kozhikode and Palakkad. This has to change,” says Ananthakrishnan.

You can also join the protest through a Google drive link provided on the Youtube channel TMC Visual Media & Theatre Club. “Any crisis related to the medical community always gets talked about in length only within the community. This has to stop. The general public should also step in and stand in solidarity with us and demand proper action against the accused,” adds Ananthakrishnan.

Due to the Covid restrictions, the team shot the music video on the terrace of their college hostel. The concept and video were by Ambadi S Sastha and Kiran Ajith. Music by Abdul Razique and Ananthakrishnan Prasad. Sunudev MP, Saran Santosh, Akshay Kumar are featured. The music video has garnered around 26,000 views in a week.