A DECEPTIVELY HALCYON MINDSET
If ‘we’ the people of India, must realize that the language shapes cultures and societies, and effectively leaves the impression on history itself. And collectively, if we want to eradicate the looming disaster of Covid-19, the time to act is here and now.
By Dr. Swati SHASTRI
To counter the coronavirus, the Indians need to focus on the Social Solidarity more than the Social Distancing.Indeed, to quarantine the individuals, closing the educational & working sectors, speculating the entire cities, and cancelling the religious, political or public gatherings are the optimum steps to slower down the spread of Covid-19. But it seems to be an unrefined, coarse and expensive health strategy.
By shuttering the shared spaces and the institutions, the people are losing their daily wages, the proper child care, and the required social support. This is highly insufficient for the older, homeless, sick people to protect from the virus who are more vulnerable than the other. Social isolation leads the risk factor rather social connections make the difference between the life and death.
The efficient government can provide the extra care, services and the supports to those are actually in need, and also mitigate the damage during the health crisis by communicating honestly with the public.
It’s an open question whether Indians have enough social solidarity to stave off the worst possibilities of the coronavirus pandemic?
There are many reasons to be skeptical. If we see, we are politically and socially divided, and the government is also seems to be failed to prepare for the pandemic crisis. We are still dealing with the dangers of the health and security.
In the same context, people are taking extreme measures to protect themselves and somehow concern for the common good or the society has vanished. Despite of being a nationalist in many other ways, inappropriately, we always put ourselves first, not India. It would highly appreciated, if the stronger solidarity and the better leadership come up with their innovative outlook.
There is a lot, the young generation can actually do for helping the vulnerable, they can provide the companionship, help them in the food and medication, can also teach the digital communications skills to get in contact the distant relatives and for ordering the daily needs if required.
Is it really fair that the present government and the reputed media recommending ‘social distancing’ as a measure to stop the coronavirus?
The coronavirus has nothing to do, whether the person is Hindu or Muslim, rich or poor, man or woman, upper caste or the lower. While the entire world is fighting with the war against the pandemic, ‘social distancing’ is being projected as the war against the humanity. It should be rather practiced as the ‘disease distancing’ or the ‘physical distancing’.No coronavirus patient should be feeling like socially distanced as similarly to the untouchables. The patient needs to be kept at a distance from the others, so that the healthy person could not get infected. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) now prefers to call it ‘physical distancing’ instead of ‘social distancing’.