The pandemic added to the already existing financial recession, devastation wrought by climate change, uncontrolled development of artificial Intelligence and synthetic biology all the more dangerous these days of rapid technological progress where a new unregulated technique called CRISPR can easily splice genes to alter any DNA as required. There is general pollution, more by fossil fuels and their derivatives and also contemplated nuclear weaponisation of space! This year did start on a positive note with emergency vaccines ready to roll out. The mega vaccination drives of modern vaccines had short circuited time consuming normal protocols for declaring a vaccine as safe! The results of the first day vaccination reported to be by and large safe and adverse reactions comparatively few. We had COVISHIELD from Serum Institute of India, Pune which went through 3 phases testing and Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech Hyderabad not completed 3rd phase but approved by The Drugs Controller of India.
People were given no choice to choose between them due to the huge logistical exercise and availability problems. Some doctors wanted to avoid Covaxin and others advised their patients against it! There are many unknowns like how effective the vaccines would be and for how long offer immunity, whether it would prevail against the mutating Corona and the new strains rampaging through UK, South Africa and Brazil. Vaccinated people may still transmit Covid!
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Pandemics from 1918 Spanish Flue to Covid-19 now haunting us are a result of unsustainable development mercilessly destroying forests, natural habitats with our greed, consumerist style of living. Sadguru warns “It is not science or technology that is dangerous. It is human stupidity”. Leaders are facing people’s wrath for harassment in their lives with lack of security, healthy peaceful and dignifying existence for partisan gains with wrong priorities. These disasters are not acts of God but results of sinful mankind! We are now on the precipice of a new era we have created. Corona has taught us that the world is one and we can hope to win only if we work together. As long as people are selfish and want to return to the old normal that is embedded in their psyche, no amount of religion, philosophy or global interest will change the existing perceptions.
Any meaningful reforms in the UNO will require support of at least 2/3 of UN member states and also all the 5 permanent members with veto powers. If any one of them objects, the UN cannot be reformed! Banning of nuclear weapons passed by the UN General Assembly is part of international law, but neither those possessing nuclear weapons nor the NATO alliance agreed! There are unilateral and multilateral interventions going on without the sanction of the UNO! Attempts for reform have been made by the General Body calling for expansion of the Security Council to 10 members for better representation. There is a 2 years rotational chairmanship council of non permanent members, and India’s turn has come this year! But with the veto powers of the deeply divided Security Council unless alternate regional groupings and changing scenario can effectively challenge the big five, meaningful UNO reforms will remain a pipe dream.
We saw what happened in the world’s oldest democracy which was by and large a prosperous powerful shinning light. A decisive strong man led government, backed by a sizeable proportion of the electorate enabled him to show scant regard for the Constitution and laws. Fact check by the independent media constantly exposed his blatant wrong information and statements. The change from Trump to Biden in America holds significance for India due the very similar parallels in governance. The secularism embedded in our Constitution is sought to be openly and aggressively replaced with a Hindutva narrative. The RSS has moved to the political stage with people holding top constitutional posts and most mainstream media toeing the government’s line as truth is buried under hype, propaganda and rhetoric! The apparent mainstream acceptance of nationalism has moved from constitutional nationalism with unity in diversity to cultural nationalism with Hindu Right wing groups dominating politics with religion in government! For example only Bhoomi Pujan is being performed even at official army inaugurations! The Supreme Court’s reluctance to come into conflict with a determined government as guardians of the Constitution even after vigilantism, laws like UAPA and Love Jihad being misused reflects the alignment of Hinduism defined with national pride! Laws and rules are being coloured accordingly and even documentary films or books are in danger of being banned.
In a democracy when people are jailed for criticising or for humour because someone finds it hurts the religious or other perceived sentiments with state patronage, a resultant humourless, intolerant, mono cultured viewed nation will lower our GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) to comparatively drab tunnel vision levels. It will destroy our unity in diversity for which the world envied and admired us! At the time of writing, after two months united farmers’ agitation braving all threatening harsh police actions, usual anti national discrediting accusations, attempts to divide and government delaying tactics, whilst massive gathering (including senior citizens, women and children) braved the winter cold and rains outside Delhi successfully, the government agreed to hold the contentious steamrolled laws for 18 months, but not repeal them! Happy news is pulling off an “Aussome” Gabba cricket win showing people’s invincible spirit will prevail?
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer resident in Porvorim)
