At the end of this year 2021, we are standing on a
difficult and tumbling rock. The rock of peace, health, prosperity and
niceness. Something I associated with human race. But the Rock is chipped,
broken at many places and so is unsteady. May give away any day and tumble down
the tall Mountain that it so pompously had climbed on!
So, there is the VIRUS. From COVID 2019 it is going on
to 2022. When this whole thing had started, we had predicted that it would last
for 5 years and then become endemic. And that’s what seems to be happening,
sadly. But never had I imagined the scale of things going bad. Lockdowns, callousness
of few, New drugs, Drug Mafias, New vaccines, New guidelines, Anti vaxxers.
Schools and college systems in utter mess and close down of day cares and care
centres. Panic of Increasing numbers and declining numbers euphoria seems
constant with this coming 3rd year of the Pandemic. In addition to
this add a mix of politics, hate messages, confusion caused by oppositions,
complete mixed messaging coming from WHO and Indian systems trying their best
to cope with the Whatsapp falsities.
I have been extremely interested in the 19th
and 20th century history, the build up to the World War II and the
aftermath of the Grave mistake. Today’s world seems scaringly similar except
the fact that now India is also on the Frontline of catastrophies unlike the 19th
and 20th century where the country was just fighting its own freedom
battle.
The land of opportunities, the land of dreams and the
land of immigrants, the mighty USA has become a Mouth piece of Hate. The
initial Rise of Anti Chinese Propoganda, now the rising Anti Semitism, Anti
Islamist, the racist misdistribution of resources among the black and white
Americans and the Rising Voice of the Anti Vaxxers make it hard to believe that
we are in the 21st century World. What is interesting is that it is
not connected to one particular leader going from power or coming in power, it
starts from down up, from the public to the power holder. It all feels eerily
similar and scary. The world is caught by Hatred, suspicion, conspiracy
theories, Cold Brutality and sadistic pleasures.
The Chinese and Russians the other superpowers are
Quiet and discrete. We don’t know what they are doing and what is happening.
New Zealand and Australia has decided to fight this by never ending Lockdowns.
Rest of the Europe is dealing with Severe COVID fatigue. With Covid having
rampaged Italy, Spain and UK, now the ever-cancelling holidays and severe
financial losses are driving Europe to an acceptance of a never-ending battle.
We as Indians have fought hard. The applause to the
Medical Fraternity got replaced by the Butcher image of this group due to Drug,
Oxygen and Health supply shortages. The 2nd wave showed at least one
known person from every Indian family involved and suffering. Uncountable
deaths, bodies lying heaped on pyres or just dropped into rivers for lack of
Cremation spaces was very frightening to see. The C word became the dreadful
word during the 2nd wave where each one of us were just praying more
and counting the few days of happiness with our family. It just felt like we
were staying in bunkers to save ourselves from the bombs dropped by the
enemies. This Constant Flight and Fright mode is still on!
We have had our share of phobias, from people, cast,
race, sex, food, neighbors, vaccines,
medicines and lockdowns. Those who came from foreign shores were discriminated
once, and still people I know of, who flew to places to get a vaccine shot from
a foreign country because they believed that vaccine was better or the country
they wanted to migrate to accepted only a particular vaccine.
Meanwhile the Indian Administration has tried its best
to vaccinate as many as possible and for that I am thankful to the public too who
took it up on themselves to take the shot. From a vegetable vendor to a
businessman, whoever I ask has taken the shot. Without doubts and questions and
Indians still believe in Science as much as they believe in God and for that I
am thankful.
This dilemma of “To Help or Not”, “To talk about or
not”, “To go for the wedding or not”, “To visit Ailing Grandparent or Not” “To
send to school or not” I hope this end soon!
In this difficult world of Hate and Blame, I am trying
hard to teach my kids empathy, acceptance, love, sharing and peace. This is in
the hope that the future generation, one by one, add stones to the rock and it
stand mighty high for Human races to come.
