SARS consciousness again is highly area-selective. For instance, one meetspeople in masks outside the Apollo Medical Research Institute (AMRI) in southKolkata, creating a surrealist ambience. One or two persons can be seen wearingmasks, mostly non-surgical, near the city center. But on the whole the maskshave not really caught on yet.

Masks are very much the defining characteristic of Debigarh area inMadhyamgram, about 21 kms north-east of Kolkata. The area’s recent claim to'fame' is the only known SARS patient, Asitabha Purakayastha. A textile engineerby profession, he had gone on a long trip to several East Asian countries,including China, little knowing how it would end.Prurakayastha returned fromHong Kong via Mumbai and Delhi, before touching down in Kolkata and was checkedat each place, on April 19. However, his fever started from the 20th at hisresidence, accompanied by severe chest pain.

By now, his family and neighbours knew enough about SARS to send him packingto the nearest nursing home, which admitted him and refused treatment on theground that it did not know how treat the disease. His next stop was government’sInfectious Diseases Hospital where there was no infrastructure to deal with aSARS patient.Finally, he was taken to the AMRI where he got his first treatment.On April 28, AMRI authorities declared him sufficiently cured to go home. Butthe people of Debigarh were in no mood to welcome him home. Even his familymembers seemed to go along with the prevailing opinion, for reasons stillunknown.

Outlook spoke to members of the Netaji Sangha, a local organisationwhich spearheaded the campaign to prevent Purakayastha's return, "until heis fully fit" as its members Ashok Chakravarty and Shyamal Mitra put it. Toput it mildly, they were not convinced by the verdict of the AMRI authoritiesand launched a scathing attack on the state government’s poor response to amedical emergency."How could the AMRI authorities pronounce Purakayasthasufficiently fit when he was still running high temperature? Again, if he isfully fit, free of the mysterious virus, then why do the AMRI doctors insistthat even after his return he will have to be put in isolation for sometime?Obviously because he is not yet cured!

"Our stand is simple. We have nothing against Asitabha-da, but let hisblood samples be checked again at Pune or elsewhere, let other experts make afresh analysis into his condition and pronounce him fully fit, let someonecapable take responsibility, not the incompetent state authorities who aretrying to minimize the gravity of the situation and still claiming that everyoneis safe. Yet they do not really have a clue to even diagnosing, let alonetreating, the disease!" says former municipal councilor of the area MihirPaul, a supporter of Netaji Sangha’s stand.The other aspect of the situationthat has peeved the people Madhyamgram is the lack of facilities. Not only localnursing homes, but even major government hospitals like the SSKM, the IDH andthe celebrated School of Tropical Medicine lacked elementary equipment!

Outlook also spoke to Asitabha's sister, Sobhana Dutta Choudhury, whowith other family members of her brother visited him daily at the AMRI hospital.There is a demand to have them checked every day, in the interest of thelocality. Shobhna too, feels would not be wise to move her brother from AMRInow, because he also suffers from a heart ailment.

"I’m sure the movements and tensions of the last few days would nothave done his already ailing heart any good at all, and I think he needs moretime to stabilize himself. So for the time being I think he should stay where heis. "