Issue 342 - 27/03/2020

22 27/03/2020 NEWS LITERATURE POLITICS FASHION ART & CULTURE KIDS RELIGION FILMS
www.samajweekly.com
The country is in a lock down now.
The fact is it should have happened earlier
but better late than never. The prime
minister’s call for the Janata Curfew
was nothing but a preparation for the
full lock down. It is good that people
responded to it. Actually, this is a good
way to impose things in the name of
people’s will but yes, it was needed and
whatever way is done, has to be welcomed.
The Prime Minister spoke for
about half an hour and his address was
uninspiring to say the least. It did not
have anything except his own ‘anecdotes’
and then the ‘novel’ ‘idea’ of
‘thali peeto’ & ‘ghanti bajao’. Many of
the bhakts came on their balcony and
did it so diligently that they were
unable to stop it. I thought Modi ji
might have given a time period for how
long was it supposed to be done. Now,
we are getting videos that people came
out in the streets at many places with
their thalis and Ghantas and banged
them. All the ‘social distancing’ was
wiped off with in five minutes of what
we witnessed in Ahmedabad and Jaipur
where the crowds throng the street with
tricolor in their hands.
Why is this country and its leadership
not serious about the issue confronting.
Why you want to convert
everything into an event and spectacle.
Definitely, the PM was sounding worried
as he saw the situation in the west
is turning nightmarish but unlike the
Western leaders who showed great
sense of urgency to protect their nation
and their economy, we did find nothing.
French President Emmanuel Macron
locked down the entire country and
promised that the government will look
after the poor as well as the Industries.
Look at the inspiring speeches from
German leader Angela Merkel to
Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau who assured their nation that
the government will take care of everything.
The Dutch health minister collapsed
due to Corona Virus and the
prime minister appointed, a former
minister who belong to the opposition
party as Health Minister. A country like
Great Britain which was initially not
keen and waiting for things to happen
as they were, finally listened to the scientists
and pumped huge amount of
money to not merely protect the
Industries but also to the citizens particularly
the vulnerable. All governments
and companies allowed their employees
to work from home. Italy has been hit
hard due to this calamity and yet is coping
with it with great courage and confidence.
The government is working
day in and out despite the enormity of
the situation. The situation in the
United States is alarming and a big failure
of the government which waited for
so long and allowed the situation to go
worst.
The world’s most powerful government
is looking helpless as the number of
cases growing alarmingly. China, who
LEADERS inspires
through their actions
were the first to face the tyranny of
Corona Virus in Wuhan today are actually
providing hope to the world. That they
could do so with great discipline is an
example. Of course, countries like South
Korea and Singapore too inspires hope. A
tiny country, victim of Western economic
sanctions, has been sending his team of
doctors and nurses on foreign mission to
help other. This time, a 58 members contingent
is in Lombardy, Italy, a city hit
hard from the Corona Virus.
And look inward, we have
a Parliament in session but it
did not have time for serious
discussion. Even if the speaker had
allowed a discussion, the leaders would
have made it an address to their bhakts.
What we are witnessing today is the
numbing of brains by idiotic ‘prescriptions’
and deliberate distortions. Now
TV channels are inviting fraudster Babas
to give more ‘knowledge’ to people.
Why are we doing so ? The reason is
clear that when we fail as a nation to
respond to the crisis. I personally feel
that India will succeed in holding on as
we have enormous food diversity. The
food culture of this country will survive
it from the onslaught of these diseases, of
course, we need to maintain physical distancing.
Socially, India has always practised
‘distancing’ because of the ‘caste
system’ and many of the ‘ideologues’
will now justify this as a ‘boon’ amidst
the current crisis. Whether people survive
or not, our economy will be in a
deeper crisis and poor and marginalised
will face more trouble.
The quality of Narendra Modi and
his team is that they do not give people
a chance to think for themselves. They
are deciding and thinking for every one
and producing all these ‘event’ which
the bhakts are more than happy to
respond as all of us are waiting for a
miracle and people feel Modi can
get them that ‘miracle’. In India,
Kerala government has done
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
social and human rights activist
extremely well and announced a big
package for people. Even Arvind
Kejriwal’s offer on food subsidy was
good. Many state governments have
been far active in dealing with it. The
prime minister’s address lacked that
seriousness which it needed.
The Central government has allowed
private labs to conduct the Corona testing
and a fee is capped around Rs 4,500
for that. This is so cruel. Rather than
this, the government could have pitched
in the private sector and ensure that all
those who needed it, would have got the
consultancy and treatment. No patient
should be barred or untreated. Any kind
of discrimination based on assumption
or findings should be strongly condemned
and government must make it
clear that such part of behavior by people
or doctors or any one else is criminal
and will be dealt with seriously. Isnt
it tragic that a doctor who was suffering
from Corona Virus was not admitted by
nursing homes in Maharashtra. The
Ghanta Bajao brigade might act as a
vigilante to see who did not bajao the
Ghanta and then isolate them.
In December when the Corona Virus
was first detected in Wuhan city of
China, a big numbers
of Indians students
particularly engineering
and medical were
stranded there. When
no one was going
there, the brave crew
of Air India rescued
all these students and
Indian citizens. We all
accuse this airlines of ours but the fact
is that in the time of crisis, it is this airlines,
which has come to the rescue of
the nation. And what happens now is
more shameful and ungrateful. I place
Air India’s press release here :
“It is alarming to note that in many
localities, vigilante Resident Welfare
Associations and neighbors have started
ostracizing the crew, obstructing
them from performing their duty or
even calling in the police, simply
because the crew traveled abroad in the
course of their duty,” Air India said in a
statement.
“These vigilantes have conveniently
forgotten that many a spouse, parent,
sibling, child and near and dear one
have been brought home safe and
secure from affected countries, thanks
to the heroic efforts of these Air India
crew,” the airline said.
“We would like to appeal to all concerned,
particularly the law enforcement
agencies, to ensure that our crew
are treated with the courtesy, respect
and freedom that every citizen of this
country deserves especially in light of
the fact of their having undertaken
flight duties to affected countries to
bring back Indian citizens,” Air India
said as reported by NDTV.
Can there be more shame and inhuman
than this that the Resident Welfare
Associations are targeting in such a stupid
way to the people who have served
the nation and were the first on the line
of duty. It is time to name and shame
them. You could have watched this
RWA and many like them in the forefront
of Ghanta Bajao and thali peeto
event. Most of these RWA have turned
into Right Wing Associations and sadly
have become blind to prejudices. We do
understand that all of us need protection
and distancing but that should not kill
our humanity. Corona will never succeed
as long as there is humanity but if
it will succeed if the human inside us
die and societies turned into prejudiced
vigilante groups. Let us unite amidst
this distancing. Let us learn to care. Let
us not suffer in hatred. This is a big
challenge to humanity and we hope
humanity will ultimately win.
Wish you all protection and good
health.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social
and human rights activist. He blogs
at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com
twitter @freetohumanity
Email: vbrawat@gmail.com
Prince Charles declared COVID-19 positive
London : Britain's Prince
Charles has tested positive
for coronavirus, but is "otherwise
in good health", his
spokesman said on
Wednesday,
The Prince of Wales, 71, is
"displaying mild symptoms,
but otherwise remains in
good health", the spokesman
said, reported the BBC.
The Duchess of Cornwall
has also been tested but does
not have the virus, he added.
The couple were now selfisolating
in royal residence
Balmoral in Scotland, the
spokesman said, adding it
was "not possible to ascertain
from whom the prince caught
the virus".
Charles is not the first
member of the royalty to test
positive for COVID-19.
Prince Albert of Monaco has
also tested positive.