It Is Happening

Gathering clouds will wither away.

Some time back I wrote about corona Fatigue. Lock-Down had started showing results. Corona was under control. Government intervention broke the chain. The focus then, was on saving lives. Economy nose-dived. Unforeseen exodus of migrants precipitated human crisis. 

As corona responded to government action, focus shifted to saving livelihoods by recharging economy. Lock Down was relaxed and limited to some clusters.

However, experts’ advisory was clear. Basic Corona Protocols of wearing masks, keeping safe distance, avoiding crowds, not going out except for essentials or medical emergencies, frequent washing of hands, sanitizing sensitive contact points should be strictly adhered to. Awareness campaign was intensified. 

People should have understood dangers of ignoring basic corona discipline. But corona fatigue had set in. People were tired of the lock down and felt liberated. 

No self-imposed restrictions against Corona-In-Waiting were observed. 

Massive election rallies, weddings, festivals, shopping in malls and road-side vendors, protests, demonstrations, religious gatherings without masks or social distance, all appeared on channels and had cascading effect on unsuspecting citizens. Netas added fuel to this fire of fast-spreading madness by addressing rallies after rallies till they realised their folly and stopped only when it was too late. 

What followed could have been expected. Second wave took us and government completely unawares. Corona and its variants are spreading faster and are more dangerous and might outstrip our fragile medical infrastructure if, as it seems it will, spread in rural India.

Only saving grace is that people in general, though not all, have become more addressed to the dangers of ignoring the virus, our scientists working day and night have come out with vaccines in record time to make our bodies corona-resistant, lack of confidence in vaccines has disappeared, governments have started vaccination program on war footing and several NGOs are coming forward for the public cause.

Distant statistics came nearer, and figures turned into names. People of all places started losing their dear one. papers were full of obituaries.

And the miracle happened. Suddenly everyone realised that he is on his own and cannot look to the government for rescuing him and his family. No country of India’s size and paucity of resources could have faced onslaught of such formidable virus with  velocity to spread many times faster than possible expansion of health infra-structure. 

Mosques, Temples, Gurudwaras, Churches, NGOs, professional associations, trade-industry, expats, governments of almost all countries including ones opposed to us realised that India was facing worst human tragedy. They are rushing all their resources of funds, oxygen, ventilators, oxygen plants and space for ICU beds to tide over this chasm. Oxygen plants are being air lifted in military aircrafts, military hospitals are spared for corona patients, lots of unknown Indians are coming forward to help corona patients and their relatives. Stories of small villages doing their utmost to tame the virus in their respective areas, small and big residential complexes organising help to their neighbours, doctors nurses supporting staff, police and civil servants coming back to fight the battle after being cured of corona are trickling in. 

The giant of Indian citizenry has awakened from its slumber and is up in arms against the pandemic. They have seen the enemy in its true colours. All complacency has evaporated. They have decided to take the demon head on. Nothing is impossible for the collective will-power of a people.

Succeed we must. We can never despair or give in. Eternal Vigilance by each one of us without distinction of age, sex, religion, region, or political persuasion needs to be our Goalpost.

Human specie is indestructible. It has survived against all calamities whether inflicted by itself or nature, over billions of years. Human spirit is never cowed down by conflicts. It comes out stronger.

बाधाएं आती हैं आएं,
घिरें प्रलय की घोर घटाएं
पावों के नीचे अंगारे
सिर पर बरसें यदि ज्वालाएं
निज हाथों में हंसते हंसते
आग लगा कर जलना होगा,
कदम मिला कर चलना होगा.

हार नहीं मानूंगा, रार नई ठानूंगा,
काल के कपाल पे लिखता मिटाता हूं,
गीत नया गाता हूं.

(Atal Bihari Bajpai’s verse recited by him in his famous speech in the Parliament) 

Let his invincible spirit guide our destiny.