Virus generates gloom, distrust
M K Tayal
A lot of water has flown down the river in the past month or so. One of the strictest and harshest Corona virus lockdown, ruthlessly enforced by the police in India, is having a profound and deep impact on the people confined to the four walls of their existence.
Even a cursory glance across the street, at people peeping from their windows, venturing out to buy veggies or essentials if already not getting at their doorsteps, reveals a picture that is not only worrisome but scary. The Lockdown affect is telling on the people.
On the last day of the first leg of the lockdown, people from a peaceful, and well do to locality in Punjab’s Mohali district, started erecting barricades even though no case had been reported in more than 10 kilometer radius. Frightened unclejis from houses trickled around chatting about the bleak circumstances. The conclusion of the ‘janta rant’ was a blockade. From nowhere, two bamboos were being lugged across the road and tied across a fairly busy lane in Dhakoli.
What followed next was another barricade erected barely 15 meters apart in matter of minutes. Ironically, the residents had earlier blocked two lanes within 100 meters. Fortified, the residents then felt safe. But fact of the matter remained they themselves are crossing the laksman rekha to meet their daily needs.
Har Har Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while announcing the extension of the lockdown for yet another two weeks urged the people to strictly implement the lockdown. The carrot dangling from the PM’s address to the nation was that good behavior and rigorous implementation by the people would be rewarded by easing of lockdown restrictions if no cases were reported from their regions.
People had already danced to the Pied Piper’s tune by thalli-banging and lighting diyas. Discounting any political theory or how a master craftsman was playing to the gallery, the bottomline being that fear was injected into the minds of the people by the lockdown. And an over active and vociferous media was adding fuel to the fire.
Socially unsocial
The only recourse available to the people to reach out to the world, the social media wasn’t helping either.
Immediately, after the lockdown was implemented there followed a series of videos of people being mercilessly thrashed by the police for venturing outside their homes.
Then followed posts of husbands grudgingly joining house-holds chores, non-availability of alcohol, social distancing guidelines.. But none to cheer up the masses. Perhaps the omnipresent anxiety was resulting in distressful behaviours of people.
Telling tales
A journalist admitted observing the change in people in her ‘society’ in Delhi. A friend in Ghaziabad relented that neighbours in his apartment block, otherwise a very social and amicable surrounding, were not even opening doors. Everyone was sort of becoming untouchable and unspeakable.
A relative in Mumbai admitted that the essential being supplied at their doorsteps. Since a case was reported from their society, leaving windows open was also being discouraged.
The situation was equally grim in a far off remote location of Arunachal Pradesh. People had stopped walking out. “It is very bad,” said a friend from Along district in Arunachal from where hundreds of kilometers there are nothing but jungle.
However, a Hyderabadi friend did admit people were venturing out from their houses for walks.
The Muslim divide
Overall, it appeared that gloom had engulfed the masses. And yes, the Tablighi Jamaat members had given a reason to the people to vent out their pent up frustrations in the depressing scenario. The Muslims, in general, were at the receiving end of peoples scorn.
“They are not adhering to the social distancing restrictions even now. Still they are holding Friday prayers in groups, on roofs and closed areas,” commented a friend from the Hindi heartland, where the social divide increases by each passing riot.
The spitting incidents being reported in the virus days were forcing localities to turn away Muslim vegetable vendors. “For the fault of one or two, all the muslims are facing trouble,” commented a vegetable vendor in West Delhi’s working class locality.
All is not lost
Everyone is suffering social and economic hardships. With little help from the government initially, the government was also waking up. Restrictions will be removed from April 20, depending the mindset of the king.
And as situation improves, the people will get to go on with their lives post the lockdown. The people will spring back to life. No matter how tough the road seems, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Also readhttps://thecorrespondent.in/nation/from-darkness-to-light-the-indian-style/
