The great rethink: Loving life under lockdown? That kind of love is very expensive for a few too many!
When the world’s strictest lockdown was announced by Hon’ Prime Minister in India, it was supposed to take 21 days to win the war on the coronavirus. But more than two months later we are still stranded here infact dealing with the worse.
In a usual way India was copying measures other rich countries take to protect public safety and welfare, but low income countries cannot afford. But as per officials, in other major emerging countries none advocated total lockdowns because closing the economy would lead to more starvation and death.
Hence seeking the rescue, millions of displaced migrant workers started coursing out of metropolis, as daily wagers were released from their jobs and were evicted by nervous landlords. They planned to live on the kindness of strangers – not necessarily a losing bet in India – and to keep walking home to villages hundreds of kilometres away. Question being how many would make it, walking side by side, at unsafe social distances, but with a belief and trust in words of government stating that this being a serious disease, what else can be done but go home!
Adding-on to this pandemic fear in initial stages, the government setting aside Covid patients beds in only in government hospitals, which the privileged fear as “hellholes”. Netizens took it on by storm stating “Even if the virus isn’t going to kill you, getting sent to a government hospital will.”
Soon after three weeks when lockdown 1.0 started getting its looser versions, being relaxed many upper class started to learn and to love life under lockdown. Posting odes to recipe sharing, Netflix, Zoom cocktail parties, the clear view of the sky and moon as the smog lifted over an idle nation. They gasped over images of leopards venturing into shuttered cities!! Ah, nature!
But the other side of the coin when looked upon, dorms for the community staff stuns how sublime this life could be for them!! Does social distancing have any meaning for labourers packed six to a 200 sq ft room?? Does a lockdown make any sense in such crowded living conditions??
By mid-April when many ‘rich’ countries had started to debate reopening their economies, protests started breaking out against lockdowns in the United States, in India there was little public debate, much less protest. The hardest hit, the poor and unemployed, seem to accept their misery as fate, likely unaware of evidence that the most stringent lockdowns are generating the most severe economic damage.
The irony now is that with India is headed for what could be its worst post-Independence recession, economic pressure is forcing a retreat to lockdown lite, even as the virus case count surges.
The plight of the migrants, with many returning home and testing positive, is also too hard now for any “patriotic” to ignore. Moving in small groups, holding hands and dragging each other to home, all that could be done is to hope that they make it home safe while settling down in comfort?? By loving and cherishing life under lockdown??
That kind of love is too expensive for them!
Citations : Ruchir Sharma