2020 has been a tough year. It will always be remembered as the year a virus brought the world to its knees - locked down, shut away and isolated. But more than that, it will be remembered as the year the medical community and health workers across cities and villages stood bravely on the frontlines of a war against COVID, in the face of a highly infectious and unknown virus, to save lives – often at the cost of their own.

There were doctors, nurses, ward boys, janitors, pharmacists, ambulance drivers, morgue attendants, bio-waste sanitation staff, medical officers, community health workers, ASHA workers, inoculators – too many to count, in hospitals, clinics, isolation facilities, clinical wards, ICUs, health centres, nursing homes across India - their valiant effort keeping us safe, looking after infected patients, providing them not only medical aid, but also the emotional support & care they needed in isolation.

The conditions were supremely tough – stigma to begin with, long hours in suffocating hot PPE kits, dehydration, hunger, separation from their own families, the constant threat from the virus. They didn’t back down. They fought valiantly.

And as this tough year comes to an end, with the next one bringing the promise of a vaccine, it is our honour to acknowledge all these heroes who fought for us, and with us. It is our honour to thank the saviours who helped the world back on its feet.