Pandemic raging
Unarguably a country is as good as its people and though the people is a heterogeneous mixture of humans, there are certain distinct qualities that determine a specific populace (India’s harsh lockdown didn’t work. What can be done now to slow the spread?). Indians share some characteristic traits irrespective of their religion, caste or geography. One of these is irrational negligence in accepting the realities in the first instance, lack of discipline in personal and public lives, and letting emotions and cult worship override scientific reasoning.
Consequently, coronavirus cases are on a sharp rise. It’s so frustrating to see a large number of people on the road without masks, chewing tobacco and spitting anywhere they please. Public gatherings are conveniently in view which are by default and by design in equal proportions. However, one should not be under the impression that these wrongdoings are the preserve of the have-nots only, the rot is pervasive and deeply entrenched in our society. That’s why lockdown not only turned out to be a futile exercise but illogical too, in context of our social milieu.
Much more effective measures would have been incessant mass awareness drives, strong implementation of wearing masks, facilitating public hygiene, concentrated localised focus on disease-infested areas, empowering local administrative bodies, improving medical infrastructure, and unanimity among the political leadership in a true federal style. Nevertheless, one can be excused for suspecting all such measures being put in place meticulously and more importantly, honestly. – Dipendra Karmakar
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Patanjali CEO’s claim of having found a coronavirus cure should be taken seriously and subjected to rigorous scientific tests by responsible bodies (Coronavirus: Patanjali CEO claims his company has found Ayurveda cure, gives 100% favourable results). If proved false, the CEO of Patanjali and those carrying out the purported tests must be given exemplary punishment. It will discourage people from making such calls on the public’s trust in future.
On the other hand, if proved right, the people involved must be given due recognition and reward. Science keeps an open mind, provided the claims are based on reason and reliable experiments. We are being pushed into a corner by the ravages of the pandemic. Hence, the need to keep our eyes and minds open. – Hiren Gohain
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As a registered nurse in the United States, I want to say that the increase in coronavirus cases is not due to lack of international cooperation but due to people being lax (Coronavirus: WHO says record increase in cases has no link to more testing). I see a lot of people in casinos in Las Vegas not wearing masks, playing at the slot machines or at the tables. Signs alone does not help. People are going on trips and attending parties, not washing their hands, and not following physical distancing rules. There needs to be a mandated restriction and laws to wear masks in public at the minimum to decrease the number of cases.
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It is indeed appreciable that the recovery rate from Covid-19 in our country is above 50% (Highest single-day jump in Delhi cases; India’s recovery rate above 50%). But when making comparison with other nations, for the conclusion to have greater significance, we must take several factors into account such as the mean age of the infected persons, mean age of the recovered persons, comorbidities, time period between diagnoses and prognoses, etc. Day in and day out, new insights are available from all corners of the world and nothing is conclusive yet.
However, some favourable points reported till date are low fatality rate of less than 3%, a reducing reproductive number, an increased doubling time. But a better picture would emerge only if the number of tests is substantially increased. When more and more turn asymptomatic, the fatality rate would come down with increased herd immunity. This idea of the extent of “herd immunity” is a vital parameter to identify hotspots, relabel areas into green and red zones, and plan the easing of lockdown and reopen the economy. – Ramana Gove
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Miscellaneous comments
I condemn the action by the Uttar Pradesh police against Supriya Sharma (UP: FIR against Scroll.in’s Supriya Sharma for report on impact of lockdown in PM’s constituency). Appreciate your journalist’s story, which brought up the facts on the ground. The Narendra Modi government is going downhill on its own lies. – Ayyanathan K
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The article you have written on Narendra Modi’s governance is really interesting and amazing (Smoke, mirrors and Modi: A grand illusion of governance). There is a lot of insight and profound knowledge on the governance of the ruling party. But the article is merely based on the setbacks and stumbling stones that the Modi government has faced and the previous governments were unable to address. It’s my humble request to you to present another article based on the achievements and accomplishments of both governments – the ruling one and the current opposition. I would be quite pleased to write you a mail concerning the achievements and accomplishments of the government – at the international platform as well as other aspects. – Rajat Lama
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This article raises the issue of gender discrimination with an emphasis on men’s dominance in the corporate world (What happened to the women who graduated from IITs in the ‘90s?). To my mind, escapism is not the solution. There is a need to bring a change in mindset in official as well as personal spaces. Women are the strongest force. They can change the situation in their favour if they are determined. It is not easy but it is not impossible. There is need of motivation and initiations. – KK Singh
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The article on India’s civil society has very good analysis (Why India’s NGOs don’t question politics and power any more). However, the organisation-building and professionalising characteristics mentioned in it are not as recent as two decades old. They are many decades older and include church-based and Gandhian organisations as well that were once known for political activism. In that sense, the author has failed to highlight the role of fear in curbing political activism. – Vidya Ramachandran