Khrotsolo Rhako, d
B.A. 2nd Semester,
Unity College, Dimapur, Nagaland
The warlike situation that we are trapped in right now might be the dead end for humanity and covid-19 is the source of it. We are still not certain when the cure will be discovered, I don’t mean to frighten you, however it is important to acknowledge the sad truth that covid-19 is taking over the world in a matter of days, however, let us look at the brighter side, we humans can be the anti-virus for this covid-19 by just doing simple thing that is- we simply need to be more hygienic and clean. To tackle this covid-19 is very easy at the same time very difficult and complex task because the tragic truth is that we are human beings and we have a tendency to ignore and forget simple things but these days we have to be precise and disciplined in everything that we do because the key to survive in this grief hour is to do simple things in simple ways, let us not forget that this fight is personal and only we can save ourselves, government is doing its job, sanitary workers, medical doctors and nurses will remain as frontline warriors however at the end it is you and you alone who will be battling and protecting yourself. Also, I wish to remind you that the time has come for each and every one of us to have more faith in God rather than be victimised of fear because by faith we can do miracles and now we are desperately in need of it. Before covid-19 there was plague and influenza which killed millions and then came MERS and then SARS but we managed to find a solution through faith, scientific rigor and intellectual hard work and this time also we will find a solution but ‘When’ that remains a mystery as of now, but let us not lose hope and keep our faith strong- in God, Doctors, Government, frontline workers and medical science.
We are going through a very difficult time. We should be more alert and cautious of our surrounding and maintain the law and social distance which can help contain covid19. If we follow the rules and regulation of the government then it will increase our chances to fight against this pandemic. There have been complaints coming from different parts of India regarding highhandedness of Police, however, we should understand a fact that our police officials have been involved in the most stressful job in the world. We Indians are basically undisciplined and lazy people. We are not socially or culturally accustomed to follow rules and regulations. We love to spit, we love to cough, we love to smoke, we love to urinate, we love to defecate openly in public places. Where in world do we find such unique example? Go to Bihar, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Assam or our Nagaland or any other state in India we will discover that, we all have developed similar characteristics in terms of certain unhealthy and dangerous habits which (whether you like or not) actually unites us in strong bond as Indian. This is another way to see unity in diversity in India. We truly have been living in a very sad state of affairs, and therefore, when epidemic like Covid19 compel us to change our life style and habits we find it difficult to do so and try to escape from our social responsibilities, legal obligations and consequently getting beaten up by the police who at this point of time are legally armed with special powers under 144 Crpc, Sec. 188, 269, 270 of IPC, Epidemic Act 1897 and Disaster Management Act 2005 and Nagaland Epidemic Disease (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020 (Applicable in Nagaland) etc. However, I wish to make one thing very clear that, it is not police who is beating us up, but rather our bad habits which resulted into illegal actions are compelling them to do the unpleasant acts. In different parts of country there have been incidents of attacks on Doctors and Police have been documented. How do you expect police to handle such situations? As reports shown in various news channels, it seems people are jumping regulations under 144 CrPc and Disaster Management Act in such a sensitive and crucial time. As you can see that India is not simply facing challenge of Coronavirus but also from its own people who it seems (after watching reports on various news channels and print media) I believe, may not be in a best psychological condition to understand the nature and gravity of the pandemic.
Moreover, when on one hand India has locked itself safely, on the other; thousands of people are stranded on streets. They are daily wage labourers, migratory workers, homeless people and beggars. People who does not have money to buy food and water, how will they be able to afford expensive hand sanitizers and masks? While fighting an epic battle against virus we should not forget the plight of people who are on the streets, sleeping on the roads, dwelling beneath the sky. Government agencies are all out to help these people, many organizations and individuals are also working for them, however, the number of such people at this point of time is very less. Government machineries has its limitation, and therefore, more and more civil society groups, Churches and individuals must come forward through proper government channels and contribute to the relief endeavours. It looks like we are so much engrossed in protecting our own lives we are forgetting that the lives of helpless people on the streets matters too. I am not saying that we all should come forward, it is not possible, and of course not feasible too, however, what we simply can do is to strengthen the hands and backs of people who are working out of their protected comfort zones. We can send messages of gratitude and love to those who are working for us and those people who have nothing else to lose but their lives. We can donate grocery items to government agencies. We can also donate cooked meal to poor, helpless, stranded people under the proper guidance and instructions from government authorities. We can donate masks and sanitizers too. We can donate money to the right individuals and right organizations (after proper background check) who are working in support of government efforts in fight against Covid-19. Let us not become selfish and self-centered. UK, Italy, USA, Germany, Spain are few mighty and richest countries in the world, but in the time of corona epidemic their wealth, riches and might did not help them. Covid-19 killed poor as well as rich. One news report said that, an Italian Billionaire committed suicide after seeing all his family members succumbing to the death due to the wrath of this deadly virus. Natural calamities and pandemics like what we are facing today always come with a hidden message- “material wealth, money, power, beauty, lust cannot protect you from death”. Death is a great leveller, isn’t it? When we make choices we are either influenced by fear, lust, power, selfishness or self-centered interests. Let us try to make choices purely based on compassion. Can we do that? Yes we can do that. This artificial gap of US & THEM must be bridged with unconditional love and compassion. Mankind has a huge potential to become more loving, kind, compassionate and caring. We are not born to accumulate wealth and power but to give them away unconditionally when others who are more helpless, more unfortunate than us need. Wealth, Power, Money actually does not define how human you are; rather your ability to give them away decides your real character. If you really wish to know how human you are, then test your ability to ‘give unconditionally’ to strangers, nameless, faceless-identityless people. Let me tell you, your ability to ‘give’ will bring the divine satisfaction, happiness and bliss that you have been searching for years in family, religion, money, wealth, love, relationships, sex and power.
Therefore, the time has come to invoke our human heart. Let us not be the victim of fear, nor the angels of arrogance, stubbornness and selfishness. Let us all be a good citizen and kind, compassionate human being. And if anyone of us carries this virus (God forbid) then let us please be a person with a good mentality and a kind heart and try to isolate ourselves. Let us be responsible and protect ourselves from spreading the virus to others either knowingly or unknowingly because it will make the situation worse and at the end of the day we will be ashamed of ourselves and hold grudges against each other. And if anyone of us have the virus then try to remember our religious teachings and have faith and at the same time remember the guidelines issued by government. Let us all start to live a hygienic and selfless life to make this burning world a better place to live in for us and for our future generations and also increase our chances of victory against thus covid19. Here I am not assuring that the world will immediately be freed from disease but our sensible and responsible behaviour will definitely increase the chances of us not getting the disease, so let us stay safe, stay healthy and be compassionate.
