KOCHI: Recently, I was travelling in a cab with a young girl early in the morning. After a few minutes of the ride, the girl, who seemed to be fresh out of the shower, starts sneezing. Knowing well the global scare of coronavirus, I looked at the action and reaction of the girl.
She was very casual in her approach and rather used her hand to wipe off her nose without any consideration of basic hygiene. Interestingly, the girl was a university student, travelling from one university to another. Looking at her basic etiquettes, I had to put a mask on, which seemed to make her amused and angry. I was probably being rude and demeaning without stating a word. This incident might not be a rarity in India, given how little attention this country gives to hygiene and preventing the spread of diseases.
Now, let’s consider China. Once the news of coronavirus spread, the public was aware and alert. The news of personal care and prevention along with public health ‘dos and dont’s’ spread rapidly in all social media platforms. Despite the ongoing Spring festival on January 24, the important Chinese New Year festival, my close Chinese friend in Delhi refused to meet me because she just returned from China. She quarantined herself for two weeks, a visible difference between the Indian and Chinese mindset. Though Coronavirus is spreading fast, a basic consciousness regarding general public health and hygiene goes a long way. India traditionally prioritises hygiene at home. However, over the years, we have become too complacent in our approach.
India and China, both being traditional societies, have ‘community’ as the basic unit, rather than individual. There was a high degree of collectivism embedded in social and cultural construct, which prioritised common goals and aspirations over individual ambitions. However, as the notion of modernisation and western culture is paving a way into Indian life, we have become more individual-centric and the notion of ‘community’ is gradually fading away.
In China, however, the notions of ‘community’ are well preserved. This is more evident during crises and disasters. Both in nationalistic and patriotic terms, ‘community’ is above ‘self’ and ‘individual’. Hence, any issue of national importance becomes an issue of ‘collective consciousness’ and ‘collective effort’. Of the total 80,859 cases reported in China, only 3,100 deaths, and 458 new suspected cases have come up. China’s concept of ‘putting people first’ (yi ten wei ben) was at the heart of state action, but it was the collective consciousness and effort of the masses that brought hope. If India has to fight against all odds, lessons from China’s experience could be our starting point.
The author is an assistant professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi