The virus, we are discovering, is smart. It is mutating at a rate that is rendering all efforts to contain contagion ineffective. Vaccines that had not long ago appeared effective defence against the invisible mass killer haven’t kept pace with more and more virulent mutants. Scientists had warned us that we should not lower our guards the unwelcome guest was here to stay and we should be prepared to live with it for some time to come. Doctors advised exercising utmost caution and adopting Covid-19 appropriate behaviour masks, hand hygiene, and social distancing.
Scared stiff, most of us, tried to do the best we could. The prescribed strategy seemed to be working. India could boast of the number of infections and mortalities much lower than registered in advanced affluent countries. The leaders patted their backs and thumped their chests. It was claimed that India’s younger population had greater natural immunity and it was only a matter of time before all of us would acquire ‘herd immunity’. Alas, it is clear by now that we were misled into a fatal false sense of security. The infections are skyrocketing at the daily rate of over a quarter of a million and the death toll is stunning. The signs are ominous. At this rate, India would soon become the worst-stricken country in the world.
What went so drastically wrong? The keyword that can no longer be erased easily is ‘misled’. It’s the leaders who are at the helm who must shoulder the blame. They chose to remain deaf to the warnings issued by the scientists and preferred to put their trust in what was legitimised as ‘traditional knowledge’. This was compounded by encouraging ‘confidence building’ feel-good measures like beating thalis, lighting lamps, etc. Gurus and godmen had a field day strutting the stage flanked by cabinet ministers who were not shy of acting as brand ambassadors of miraculous ‘silver bullets’ that would slay the virus.
Politicians had partisan priorities. Elections, formation of favourable governments, toppling opponents, mounting spectacles to impress visiting dignitaries with the prowess and potential of resurgent India. Anyone raising the slightest doubts or asking uncomfortable questions incurred the risk of being branded unpatriotic and worse a traitor. As the situation worsened the blame game became more rough, voices more strident. The Central government blamed the states ruled by parties opposed to the NDA and these states, in turn, accused the Centre of crippling their efforts to battle the deadly pandemic to destabilise them. It is impossible to overlook that both sides misused the calamity to hide their failures.
The elections to state assemblies in sensitive states such as Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu plus the Union Territory of Puducherry pushed all else out of sight, out of mind. It was obvious to all except the electoral adversaries that the huge rallies organised for and addressed by the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and the Chief Ministers (CM) could only act as super-spreaders but who cared as the ‘do or die’ battles raged?
Suicidal behaviour was encouraged by pandering to religious sentiments. The Kumbh Mela made a mockery of social distancing and Covid-appropriate behaviour. The BJP changed the CM in Uttarakhand suddenly and the new CM threw all caution to the winds. He made inane remarks suggesting that Mother Goddess River Ganga would not let her children come to harm. The same mindset was even more stubbornly displayed by the CM of Uttar Pradesh. It isn’t only the Hindus who have adopted an increasingly aggressive stance.
Misguided Sikh youth who broke out the sanitary cordon wielding swords and injuring police personnel insisting that Hulla Bol during the Hola Mohalla couldn’t have been unaware of the provocative consequences of their conduct. Last year, it was the members of the Tablighi Jamat that were identified as virus bombs. One can keep adding to the list. It is quite clear that we are mortally stricken by the competitive communalism virus. Politicians keep blaming members of the ‘other’ community for sabotaging the fight against the coronavirus.
There are other unfortunate diversions allegedly Khalistani elements and ‘Urban Naxals’ who had ‘infiltrated’ the farmers’ agitation and were threatening to hijack it; IPL and Test Cricket the opium of Indian Masses, conveniently sensational disclosures about collusion between corrupt politicians and high-ranking policemen, sudden change in the status of Delhi CM. Indian Federalism is today neither collaborative nor competitive.
It is not surprising that in the absence of transparency in the government’s action and shameless capitulation of its responsibility by large sections of media rumours are rife and the health care system has collapsed. Hospitals, cremation and burial grounds are overflowing. None trusts the official statistics totally. The argument that saving lives and livelihoods has to be balanced is no longer convincing when confusing about turns in imposing lockdowns have become routine. Panic can be more deadly than any mutant of the coronavirus. How long can we remain trapped in herd mentality stupefied and stunned by the ‘smartness’ of the virus?
Pushpesh Pant
pushpeshpant@gmail.com
Former professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University