By | Ramesh Ranjan | Editor

We are in the midst of the worst human disaster in the last century and facing one of the worst pandemic known to mankind. The COVID 19 virus has thrown our life into disarray and countries are trying to wriggle itself out of this pandemic with minimal losses. Isn’t the Nation only as good as its People?

More than 3 million lives have been lost and more than half the worlds population has been afflicted with this dreaded virus. If one felt that we had a grip on the situation towards the end of last year, we were besieged with a 2^nd wave and possibly a 3^rd wave. While one country was rejoicing coming out of the COVID 19 pandemic, another country was plunged into it again and so the cycle is threatening to repeat and God knows how many more times it will repeat. While Scientists and Doctors have been finding a solution for it, the virus is smart and mutating itself time and again and evading the Scientists and Doctors time and again and frustrating the whole world.

It has spared no one, the Developed or the under-developed, the Rich or the Poor, the educated or the un-educated, the urban or the rural population and has at times rendered money, wealth and power – powerless.

India is facing the brunt of the second wave after having almost declared victory over the COVID 19 in the first wave. Many felt that India missed the second wave or even if it did occur, it would be a mild one. Indians were gloating over the COVID 19 as late as the 1^st week of April.

Election rallies drawing massive crowds were being held day in and day out in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu & Puducherry. Cricket matches were being held in the worlds largest cricket stadium with 50% capacity, IPL matches were on, 28 lakh pilgrims congregated on the banks of the River Ganga for the annual Kumbh Mela, thousands of Farmers have been protesting for months together on the outskirts of Delhi. Films were being screened in theatres, malls were open, schools and colleges holding physical classes, marriages and religious ceremonies were being held as if there was no such thing called Corona.

Social distancing, masking and precautions were thrown to the wind. Vaccination centers were pleading for people to come and get vaccinated. There was skepticism about the Vaccine in the minds of many people.

But come April much like the April fools day, the 2^nd wave struck like a Tsunami and has swept the country of its balance.

Amidst all this, there is an anger and frustration of the common man. Many believe that the Government lead by its Political Leaders have let the country down. The daggers have been drawn and everyone , the citizen, the opposition parties, the media and the foreign countries are seizing the opportunity to have a dig at the Modi led Government and shame him and the Country.

It is said that an Opportunist is one who sees an Opportunity in every Calamity. But unfortunately, people are seizing the Opportunity for the wrong reasons. People are seizing opportunity at the cost of lives of people and furthering their greed.

• Oxygen cylinders are being hoarded and sold in black.
• Oxygen concentrators are being hoarded and sold three times the normal cost.
• Oximeters that cost about 200 ruppees in China is being sold for 600 Rs in India.
• Remdesivir is as valuable or even more than Gold.
• Hospital Beds, ICU are not available for the needy. Middleman and agents having a field day with instances of people being charged 40,000 Rs. For getting a bed in a hospital in Bangalore.
• Bidding a dignified farewell and cremating the departed ones is becoming a nightmare. One has to shell Rs.20000/- for buying wood to burn the pyre.
• The Ambulance driver is having a field day. Instances of people having paid Rs.80000/- to transport dead patients for cremation.
• Vendors are seizing the opportunity to loot the hapless citizens be it coconut water, fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken or other essential items.
• Employers, landlords and house holds are letting go of their employees, the tenants, the maids, drivers, cooks and others at this time of crisis to fend for themselves.
• Hospitals overcharging patients and refusing to hand over dead bodies to relatives until the payment is cleared and people having to wait for 6 hours to collect the deceased bodies.
• Lemon /Gooseberry is a precious commodity because every one is scrambling for it – Vitamin C and the suppliers are making a killing of it. 
• The media is having a field day selling bad news. Photographs of funeral pyres from India selling for Rs. 23,000 each on stock image sites 
• Journalists are reporting from burial grounds to promote their own agenda and cheap TRPs, with scant respect to the departed soul. 
• Corporates and business houses are declaring positive business results and boasting of V shaped recovery and CXO’s are paying themselves millions of dollars in bonuses and salary raises while paying peanuts to employees and laying off many. How much is enough?

We all know that the Vultures hover over the crematoriums and grave yards to pry on the dead bodies and satiate their hunger. But here we have our own brethren’s prying and pouncing on living human beings like vultures to make a killing and filling their coffers and amassing wealth of the sick and the helpless people

Where is Humanity?

Why are we blaming only the political class & the leaders?

COVID 19 is not killing India, it is the greedy & corrupt citizens of this country that is killing India.

A country of the size of 1.3 billion people cannot be run without discipline. If people are not self-disciplined no one including GOD can help. Yes, the Government has failed in many ways, but if we take care of ourselves and be disciplined, there wont be a need for any intervention of the Government.

Who are these politicians and leaders? They are one among us. They have cherished ambitions similar to all of the other citizens and have worked their way to the top. If all us are self-centered, nursed ambitions, become greedy and want to amass wealth beyond our means, they too reflect the same behaviors. They cherish the same values that we citizens have imbibed and are a true reflection of the society. Lets not just criticize them. Lets look inwards and reflect our own values & behaviors. Its becoming a case of living in a glass house and throwing stones at others. 

Let’s not ask what the Government has done for us, its time that all of us responsible citizens start thinking as to what we can do for the Country. Its time for all citizens to shun greed, dishonesty and collectively work towards battling the common invisible enemy. Let us stand united against our adversaries who are trying to bring our Country down. Let us realize that the Nation is only as good as its People.

As Albert Einstein said “only a life lived in the service to others is worth living” and not living on others or at the cost of other lives.

Will we rise to the occasion, will Humanity win over greed and will we be more Human than before, only time will tell………………

#letsbemorehuman