Masks and the facade
“People killing, people dying. Can you practise what you preaching? Will you turn the other cheek?” — is how a popular song (Where is the love?) goes, which fits in well with the state of
affairs in Meghalaya as far as COVID-19 protocols are concerned as a visit to any of the gathering poses a question: Where is the mask?
Are we being blind or do we lie as the ground realities are far different from the promising claims of the government and almost all organisations hosting such gatherings.
It is a known fact that it is never easy to implement the protocols rigidly on the ground but a little effort to ensure that at least 10 per cent of it is followed is also missing.
The recently-concluded by-elections and the election gatherings were in sharp contrast to what the authorities have been boasting about and the icing on the cake was it was the same individuals who appealed the public at the drop of a hat to maintain COVID-19 protocols.
“Let me just tell you COVID-19 is still here and we cannot be complacent,” is a favorite as well as popular and one of the mostly used quotes of few leaders at the helm of affairs but as soon as election bell rings everything goes for a toss; so much so that while entry to festivals requires double vaccination certificate, attending the campaigning process does not require anything but participation.
Two ladies who were denied entry to Wards Lake — one of the venues for Cherry Blossom Festival — were enraged by this and swore not to go and vote as they have not yet got double doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
What started as a mere chit chat in a tea stall soon became a topic of discussion as many others joined in and questioned the logic behind it.
Meanwhile, the scene inside the venue was no different as the COVID-19 protocols seem to have been merry-making in the festivity.
Barring few, most of them including those at the gates had masks hanging by the chin, no masks and social distancing on a holiday.
And all of this comes at a time when the global community is dealing with the scare of a new COVID variant — Omicron.
This new variant has already resulted in a global scare with many countries clamping fresh air travel restrictions, world stock markets crashing, and several nations imposing fresh curbs for passengers from the countries where it has been detected.
The state government is of course maintaining that all preparations are on to deal with any kind of eventualities but if it is only spoken and fails to find its roots on the ground then the state is in for some trouble time.
A time travel…
The Constitution Day or the Samvidhan Divas, celebrated on November 26 to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India, is a significant day for the Republic of India and its subjects. Select parts in Shillong also jumped into the nationwide celebrations. The SJ team paid a visit to one such programme organised as part of Constitution Day celebrations — a photo exhibition at Meghalaya High Court — only to travel back in time. From two copies (Hindi and English) of the Constitution of India to the portraits of the founding fathers — all were lined up for the attendees’ perusal. A picture of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s address to the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly (14-15th August, 1947) was also put on display. It was after this day that Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ became perennial and forever etched in the minds and hearts of Indians. Nevertheless, let’s board our fictitious time machine and travel back to the present, shall we? The exhibition saw an avid participation of the law fraternity who were seen refreshing their constitutional know-how.
To the SJ team’s dismay, a scanty number of general public partook in the exhibition — it was evident due to the concurrence of the Cherry Blossom Festival and Constitution Day. Now, for those who have missed out on the privilege of flipping the pages of the Constitution of India or travelling back in time, it is actually not the end of the world. Such exhibitions will be held in the future anew. However, try not to miss out on them.