Editor,
With the rise in Covid cases everyday in our state, an atmosphere of fear and panic has set in the minds of the citizens of the state. The healthcare workers are overwhelmed and many of them have fallen prey to the virus. Therefore it’s frustrating to see that in such a situation ‘Covidiots’ still abound in the state. The most recent case is that of the pharmacist in question who suddenly felt the need to discharge his ‘ husbandly’ duties of dropping his wife to work whilst still under quarantine. That an educated man in the healthcare sector felt it was his birthright to flout norms without anyone noticing at the quarantine center speaks volumes of the lackadaisical attitude of those on duty there. He had the audacity to drive out and then calmly drive back with not a care in the world as to the number of people he so casually infected, thereby putting them at risk.
This is akin to biological warfare and he should be given the most stringent of punishment. The government has gone on record that it would see to it that he is punished. It now remains to be seen what the outcome would be.
On the other hand, many of us would have been aware of the ‘Jeep Incident’ where another ‘Idiot’ flouted rules which led to an accident. However, when our Deputy CM was asked about it by a member of the press, he was nonchalant about it as if such incidents of flouting rules are an everyday affair thereby insinuating that if you are related to a high-up in the government, it’s okay as rules of curfew are not meant for them.
As citizens we understand that all have to work together especially in this scenario of the Pandemic. However the government needs to tighten the reins on erring officials and citizens so that the faith of the public is restored and thus we can all come out of this situation more resilient than ever.
Yours etc.,
Angela Lyngdoh,
Via email
Covid captives
Editor,
All those movies about invasion by aliens have come true. These aliens are not mechatronic robots or multi-eyed blobs, but invisible slivers of RNA from who knows where. They’ve closed our borders, shackled us to our homes, and preyed on our brains.
As the Editor has pointed out (ST Aug 7, 2020), we are “Caught between the Devil and the Deep Sea”. The Devil is named Covid and the economy is drowning in the Deep Sea. Apart from a handful of small island countries, every other country, rich or poor, well-administered or chaotic, has seen spikes and surges, even with the most cautious unlocking.
The best leadership and the best brains seem baffled and bewildered. We are caught in a vicious cycle of lock and unlock, and their various versions. Punctuating this cycle with testing and treating seems to be a lost cause and we are only falling further behind. What looked like well-laid strategies in the beginning are now scattershot in the dark.
Hospital services are disintegrating. Yeoman front line workers are succumbing to fatigue and the virus itself has taken a toll of health workers. Shortage of supplies and expensive drugs mean that the poor are refused adequate treatment. Worse still, patients have died in hospital fires or by suicide in the wards, or found dead in the toilets.
All hopes now rest on a vaccine that’s good enough to stem the invasion. When that comes and how effective it will be, remains to be seen. Rich countries and those that have a robust pharmaceutical industry will be at the front of the line.Till then, we will need to have a responsible citizenry that is mindful of everyone’s welfare. But brash VIPs are above the law and party going youth imagine they are immortal. So no hopes of rowing together as one.
Perhaps attention can shift to the rural hinterland. Let local commerce and livelihoods go on, subsistence will enable survival. Rural schools can open, those children need education more. Rural healthcare should be made self-sufficient, with minimal referrals to the city. Cities are the most dangerous habitations now, where the virus breeds unhindered.
Yours etc.,
Glenn Kharkongor,
Via email
Hinduism is all-embracing
Editors,
As a new, young Indian I have some serious concerns about the write up on Niamtre, Hinduism and Ram Temple in Ayodhya (ST Aug 3, 2020) The writer claims to be a serious research scholar while writing a comparative thesis on the above topic, where he claims different sects don’t see eye to eye with each other and Ram has no connection with Shiva. I would like to remind the pseudo secularist that the Supreme Court ruled that Hinduism historically has had an “inclusive nature” and it may “broadly be described as a way of life and nothing more”. I feel the writer precisely orchestrated symbolic/influence/similarities/blended/nothing in common etc., to craft a thin line between different sects/believers/faiths etc., which is divisive in nature because of which India had suffered for centuries. These are ideas implanted by the invaders/especially British. It is common knowledge that Hinduism embraces within itself many diverse forms of beliefs, faiths, practices and worships that it is difficult to define it. The ground breaking ceremony at Ayodhya has established the same, where 135 religious leaders from different sects/believers/faiths stood ntogether under one roof ‘New India’. We, the new, young Indians are sure of the fact that India will lead the 21st century new world order which is visible in Times Square, Germany, Russia, Africa and elsewhere in the world. So, the above thesis is invalid today, for me at least and I feel the so-called intelligentsias/sympathizers/fifth columnists need to revisit their research. It would be interesting to read his column on Hagia Sophia in the near future.
Yours etc.,
Pankaj Deka,
Via email