Life in the times of Covid 19
Remember the movie “Mars Attacks” and US president Jack Nicholson trying to fight the aliens. Maybe in the last two months, every day we have relived the movie. Just that Mars has been replaced by a Virus.
At midnight of 31st December 2019 when we were busy wishing one and all a happy 2020, seldom did we know that this might turn out as the biggest irony of our lives. Within a gap of 60 days, the world faced a challenge, hitherto unknown. The challenge to survive!
While days turned into weeks and week into months, we could see the worst nightmare, the world could ever imagine , unravel in front of our own eyes. Glued to TV sets and news apps on our smart phone, we just saw countries and continents become victims of Novel Corona virus. Citadels of Renaissance like Italy crumbled while US found itself groping to survive.
Maybe globalisation too assumed a new proportion when entire world globally and collectively wanted to fight this menace. Social media was abuzz from calls of world leaders to common people , praying for the well being of all.
The world was united in its hope, in its valour , in its vigour and in its hatred for the virus and its source.
Whether it was because of abnormal eating practices in China or a human experiment that went horribly wrong in one of its biological laboratory in Wuhan, it was clear to all that communist China was the source of this deadly disease.
How was it possible that while world suffered, many economic hot spots of China remained unscathed. Or even while more than 10000 people died in Italy (not counting the other countries) in Wuhan it was only 2000. Unless China did what it does really well I.e. brushing news under the carpet.
With its global ‘agents’ like WHO working overtime to resurrect the global image of China, it is not a difficult task. Let’s not forget that human rights and human life really doesn’t matter much to the communist regime in China.
Barely three decades ago, it didn’t feel restrained to run tanks over its own people in Tianmen square, then it can, without batting an eyelid, can actually ensure that deaths of millions is never published.
And then Corona Virus came knocking at our own doors!
We knew it will but when it did, it left us gasping! Collectively our Government led by Honourable Prime Minister and all states, officials embarked upon a humongous task to keep the virus and its spread, at a bay. The effort to ensure minimal spread and to break the “chain” was ‘initially successful’.
Our PM again let the world know why he is hailed as a statesman!
He faced the challenge head on and led the counter measure, from the front.
Let us not forget the fact that since January, we have had a busy schedule. Initially with Trump coming to India, followed by the jihadi Islamists indulging in mass rioting and killing in National Capital. While the islamist breakaway forces at Shaheen Bagh, added fuel to the fire.
Nevertheless, union government planned and carried out multiple steps to obtain the virus. Be it thermal checking in all international airports or getting Indians, from abroad, back home. Nothing was left to chance!
However, which government can ever predict human weakness. Many patients escaped from Quarantine. It was sheer efficiency of the officials, that most of these cases were immediately attended. But the vagary was already done! Virus started spreading.
PM announced lockdown and it was the best time to announce and create isolation, in order to contain the virus. In such a time, almost all leaders, cutting across the party lines, came and supported our PM. While the respective implementation at state level has been different, with some states doing better than others.
Of course, we saw Leader of Congress party Mr. Rahul Gandhi, also doing what he does best (like China). He embarked upon a frustrating campaign of immature criticism of the government in everything it did. Need was for him to unconditionally rally behind the PM but Mr. Gandhi being Mr. Gandhi, refrained from doing so.
Writer Arthur Basham had written a book called – The wonder that was India! He was right, for we are indeed a wonder. Often frustratingly so!
In fact despite the size of our country and its population, the initial numbers of positive corona cases were minimal so much so that many countries were at a loss. This speaks volumes about the proactive measures of our Government at centre.
But by the fag end of March (after Lockdown was announced) the challenge has increased manifold with News of an Islamist congregation called Jamaat Tablighi and its thousands of members, who despite requests from police and administration, went ahead with their religious meeting.
And now , it appears that many of them were positive cases of corona virus. It gets even worse, many of these people travelled to different states and now news of new cases of corona has come from those places.
As if it was not enough, from the day PM announced the lockdown, we saw migrant labourers willing to walk hundreds of kilometres to reach their villages! It was shocking. Media Gleefully covered the news, rather than convincing upon the migrant workforce to stay out.
What can a government do, in such a scenario?
The PM, had gone to the extent of making a request with folded hands. He shared case studies of notable success against corona virus and exhorted the country to self isolation. In my over 4 decades of existence on Earth, I have never seen any PM making such a strong and emotional appeal.
Adequate preparations were made but in face of such a manifestation of criminal intent as exhibited by Tablighi Jamaat, I wonder what can a Govt do. The damage has been done and the spreaders/carriers of this virus too have done their jobs. Had home ministry taken any tough measures, assured the media and liberal ecosystem would have criticised the government.
From day one, there was a resistance amongst certain portion of the Muslim population towards lockdown. Perhaps because it was requested by Modi. Streams of tick tock videos asking Muslim youth to not follow lockdown/isolation rules, flooded the social media. Senior members of the community were almost adamant about their right to congregate in mosques.
In Maharashtra, state government decided that all Corona virus dead will be cream aged and not buried. Within 24 hours, Muslim leader of the alliance, Nawab Mali,, tweeted that this order will be withdrawn. Why should it be withdrawn?
Is religion more important than nation. For many Islamists, the answer is yes. Of course, the liberal intellectuals will be willing to oblige them even more.
The days ahead are going to be very tough. 1st April to 10th April shall show the trend. It is time to stay indoor, and pray. For we shall continue to have other Jamaat acting like a bunch of misguided missiles, but let’s support our government and respective state governments to prevail.
Or we are all doomed. We will reach a point of no return.
Thanks to a virus we got……from China, with love.
Remember the movie “Mars Attacks” and US president Jack Nicholson trying to fight the aliens. Maybe in the last two months, every day we have relived the movie. Just that Mars has been replaced by a Virus.
At midnight of 31st December 2019 when we were busy wishing one and all a happy 2020, seldom did we know that this might turn out as the biggest irony of our lives. Within a gap of 60 days, the world faced a challenge, hitherto unknown. The challenge to survive!
While days turned into weeks and week into months, we could see the worst nightmare, the world could ever imagine , unravel in front of our own eyes. Glued to TV sets and news apps on our smart phone, we just saw countries and continents become victims of Novel Corona virus. Citadels of Renaissance like Italy crumbled while US found itself groping to survive.
Maybe globalisation too assumed a new proportion when entire world globally and collectively wanted to fight this menace. Social media was abuzz from calls of world leaders to common people , praying for the well being of all.
The world was united in its hope, in its valour , in its vigour and in its hatred for the virus and its source.
Whether it was because of abnormal eating practices in China or a human experiment that went horribly wrong in one of its biological laboratory in Wuhan, it was clear to all that communist China was the source of this deadly disease.
How was it possible that while world suffered, many economic hot spots of China remained unscathed. Or even while more than 10000 people died in Italy (not counting the other countries) in Wuhan it was only 2000. Unless China did what it does really well I.e. brushing news under the carpet.
With its global ‘agents’ like WHO working overtime to resurrect the global image of China, it is not a difficult task. Let’s not forget that human rights and human life really doesn’t matter much to the communist regime in China.
Barely three decades ago, it didn’t feel restrained to run tanks over its own people in Tianmen square, then it can, without batting an eyelid, can actually ensure that deaths of millions is never published.
And then Corona Virus came knocking at our own doors!
We knew it will but when it did, it left us gasping! Collectively our Government led by Honourable Prime Minister and all states, officials embarked upon a humongous task to keep the virus and its spread, at a bay. The effort to ensure minimal spread and to break the “chain” was ‘initially successful’.
Our PM again let the world know why he is hailed as a statesman!
He faced the challenge head on and led the counter measure, from the front.
Let us not forget the fact that since January, we have had a busy schedule. Initially with Trump coming to India, followed by the jihadi Islamists indulging in mass rioting and killing in National Capital. While the islamist breakaway forces at Shaheen Bagh, added fuel to the fire.
Nevertheless, union government planned and carried out multiple steps to obtain the virus. Be it thermal checking in all international airports or getting Indians, from abroad, back home. Nothing was left to chance!
However, which government can ever predict human weakness. Many patients escaped from Quarantine. It was sheer efficiency of the officials, that most of these cases were immediately attended. But the vagary was already done! Virus started spreading.
PM announced lockdown and it was the best time to announce and create isolation, in order to contain the virus. In such a time, almost all leaders, cutting across the party lines, came and supported our PM. While the respective implementation at state level has been different, with some states doing better than others.
Of course, we saw Leader of Congress party Mr. Rahul Gandhi, also doing what he does best (like China). He embarked upon a frustrating campaign of immature criticism of the government in everything it did. Need was for him to unconditionally rally behind the PM but Mr. Gandhi being Mr. Gandhi, refrained from doing so.
Writer Arthur Basham had written a book called – The wonder that was India! He was right, for we are indeed a wonder. Often frustratingly so!
In fact despite the size of our country and its population, the initial numbers of positive corona cases were minimal so much so that many countries were at a loss. This speaks volumes about the proactive measures of our Government at centre.
But by the fag end of March (after Lockdown was announced) the challenge has increased manifold with News of an Islamist congregation called Jamaat Tablighi and its thousands of members, who despite requests from police and administration, went ahead with their religious meeting.
And now , it appears that many of them were positive cases of corona virus. It gets even worse, many of these people travelled to different states and now news of new cases of corona has come from those places.
As if it was not enough, from the day PM announced the lockdown, we saw migrant labourers willing to walk hundreds of kilometres to reach their villages! It was shocking. Media Gleefully covered the news, rather than convincing upon the migrant workforce to stay out.
What can a government do, in such a scenario?
The PM, had gone to the extent of making a request with folded hands. He shared case studies of notable success against corona virus and exhorted the country to self isolation. In my over 4 decades of existence on Earth, I have never seen any PM making such a strong and emotional appeal.
Adequate preparations were made but in face of such a manifestation of criminal intent as exhibited by Tablighi Jamaat, I wonder what can a Govt do. The damage has been done and the spreaders/carriers of this virus too have done their jobs. Had home ministry taken any tough measures, assured the media and liberal ecosystem would have criticised the government.
From day one, there was a resistance amongst certain portion of the Muslim population towards lockdown. Perhaps because it was requested by Modi. Streams of tick tock videos asking Muslim youth to not follow lockdown/isolation rules, flooded the social media. Senior members of the community were almost adamant about their right to congregate in mosques.
In Maharashtra, state government decided that all Corona virus dead will be cream aged and not buried. Within 24 hours, Muslim leader of the alliance, Nawab Mali,, tweeted that this order will be withdrawn. Why should it be withdrawn?
Is religion more important than nation. For many Islamists, the answer is yes. Of course, the liberal intellectuals will be willing to oblige them even more.
The days ahead are going to be very tough. 1st April to 10th April shall show the trend. It is time to stay indoor, and pray. For we shall continue to have other Jamaat acting like a bunch of misguided missiles, but let’s support our government and respective state governments to prevail.
Or we are all doomed. We will reach a point of no return.
Thanks to a virus we got……from China, with love.
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