BENGALURU : India went into lockdown five days before my intended return to India from my mini-vacation in the US, ahead of a busy work week at Lendingkart, Bengaluru. The hasty execution became a matter of concern not just for its estimated 1.3 billion citizens in the country, but also for those on foreign shores on account of work, education or leisure. Airline offices, airport authorities, travel agents, and even the external affairs ministry failed to provide clarity on a game plan to cope with this situation.
Thoughts anxiously ran across my mind – were Indian nationals like myself going to be airlifted too, like they did a month ago for Keralite nurses in Wuhan? Was I going to be home quarantined, once back in India?
However, the stark reality of my situation unquestionably remained. I, like thousands of other Indians, was in a foreign land amidst a global crisis; with a visa for a limited period; in a country that was fast developing into another epicentre for the pandemic; with no medical insurance because it was not a mandatory pre-requisite for my visa.
The authorities (in India or the USA) had no information for assistance besides feeble reassurance to stay put; and my home country was observing lockdown mode with all travel shut down. So I was stuck with nowhere to go. Indefinitely. When I learnt that the Indian authorities had done a commendable job of arranging charter flights to safely return foreigners to their respective countries, I wondered if the USA was going to extend a similar hand. Unfortunately, I had no such luck. I can only assign some of this chaos to the deplorable state of collaboration or lack of joining forces between nations.
As of today, Indian authorities have only spoken of lifting lockdown post May 3 but there are no guidelines for those stranded in foreign countries. While I optimistically await credible instructions, I pray that each Indian international airport is compliant to the new health and safety parameter practised in countries like South Korea or Taiwan. Previously, India has shown tremendous leadership in rescuing its own kin and others in times of calamities. Certainly the expectations run high for my nation to put its best foot forward, now, more than ever.
(The author is a Bengaluru-based corporate communications professional, currently in USA)