The Philatelic department must commemorate this dramatic, historically earth shattering year with a dedicated Corona stamp. But I am writing about the universal indelible stamp this year has left on all of us in more ways than one! We will say goodbye to this year on Thursday night, unable to freely do so the way we would like to and enjoyed doing all these years! We are expected to be wary of contacting or spreading the novel Corona by maintaining “social distancing” from each other, wearing masks to hide each other’s smile (we may not recognise someone with mask on). We may not touch each other, use hand sanitisers and be careful of any surfaces we touch, washing of hands often with soap recommended. Dancing or hugging and kissing a stranger 31st midnight we are warned is at your medical peril!
The major jolt was the lockdowns felt necessary to stop the spread of Covid for which there was neither a cure nor vaccine available. The whole world came to a standstill with air, sea and road transport grounded, all business and industries shut down with people confined to their homes. Families were separated, many stuck up abroad and where they did not want to be separated from loved ones. There was untold damage to commerce and financial transactions. Many businesses could not function and in fact had to close down leaving people without any income and many jobless. Sporadic lockdowns are being enforced even today! A lot of revelations and home truths are being mercilessly exposed.
Everything in life has its good and bad points.
As humans were locked down, Mother Nature started rejuvenating! After the lockdowns were cautiously lifted, people started putting back together their damaged lives, dreams and shattered economies as best they could. Let us look back with experience, look around at reality and look forward with hope. But it is more important to look within and find humanity in ourselves! What have we become and where are we going?
As voters in a democracy, it is incumbent upon us to see where our politicians are taking us and whether the administration caters to our needs. We have to ensure that our political governance strengthens the administrative framework of our country in line with the principles of democracy, transparency, accountability, integrity, respect for human rights and promotion of the rule of law. A nation’s progress can be measured through a combination of basic factors like health, wealth, food sufficiency, population happiness, education, housing, well paying jobs and GDP which covers these factors.
If the policies and governance are not in sync, some population becomes uncontrollable, people are in various stages of unhappiness, violence prevalent, wide disparities in health and wealth, unemployment and government loses credibility with some anti people attitude, law and order becomes difficult to enforce, polarisation of people, justice gets coloured and so on!
Which is what we are experiencing? The many international ratings of political, religious, socio-economic freedoms, rate of economic growth, hunger index, children malnutrition (survey after 2015 of children 3 to 5 yrs, so Nehru/Congress cannot be blamed), human rights, etc, which are not healthy! Our democracy is powerfully controlled and unity in diversity shattered, imposition of Hindutva philosophy, increasing aspiration of the people, due hype and bombastic promises with sidelining of all Opposition and protests with growing sense of citizen’s anger at the dirty politics being indulged in with the GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) levels of the nation as a whole leaves much to be desired! If leaders can change parties after election, why can’t I change my vote after election?
Our democratically elected government is adverse to criticism and living in denial of ground realities. The demands of hordes of farmers protesting in the cold outside Delhi for over a month at rammed down reforms made in their interest but without proper consultation with stake holders or Opposition are typically being discredited.
As I see it, we have a dictatorial minded PM of a relatively disciplined communally inclined party with majority in Parliament and with his rhetorical skills backed by an astute HM using every instrument of power, helped by an Opposition in disarray, has managed to keep winning elections, install their RSS/Sang Parrivar backed President, Governors, Chief Ministers, important officials whilst enjoying a compliant press and wary courts due Parliament quickly passing controversial laws and imposing them with their acquired majority might under the guise nationalism, Covid and much needed reforms! All institutions have been rendered powerless or dismantled. With money, unquestioned total use of State power selectively blunting all dissent our “democracy and judicial independence is at risk” as warned by the four senior most dissenting Supreme Court judges in 2018 at a Press conference.
The latest deadly discovery is that a new mutated spike protein form in Covid has been discovered in the UK and other European countries. Yet another variant is reported in South Africa!
No one is as yet sure if the present vaccine dozes will be adequate for everyone, how long immunity will last, whether they will be effective against the new reported variants, new mutations and the new problems cropping up like black fungus being triggered by this virus! Unless these viruses miraculously disappear, we must expect and be prepared for Corona to haunt us in 2021. Happy hopeful New Year and stay safe!
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer and resident of
Porvorim)
