Day #4: Reverse Migration, What is 'Home' in Working from Home and Economic recovery...

23rd March 2020: Today was a big day across the country with several state governments finally announcing severe measures to contain movements, isolate regions that could have concentrated transmission and get ready for the next big jump in terms of virus affected numbers.

1. LOCK DOWN — REVERSE MIGRATION with WHAT? WILL WE NAME AND SHAME THE PRIVILEGED? WILL Governments SUE THEM?

2. WHAT IS THE ‘HOME’ IN ‘’WORKING FROM HOME’?

3. HELP THY NEIGHBOUR — STAY SENSITIVE TO THE NEARBY NEEDS.

1. LOCK DOWN — REVERSE MIGRATION with WHAT? — the most dramatic media images today have been the reverse migration of labourers from the city to the villages all over India. With cities on a lockdown mode, these people have no option but to head home. It is important to understand that they are paying the price because some people of the privileged class have been undisciplined enough to not care to isolate or quarantine themselves. Several states have reported this case. These people are losing their livelihood now perhaps for several months and are prone to easy infection because they are forced to travel in crowded manner, under prepared to depart, at short notice and with no guarantee as to what they will do back home, when they can return or to what job.

In the past few moths, during the anti-CAA protests, one of the state governments took the approach of ‘’naming and shaming” those who protested, though their protest was restricted and often under threat by State and other players, these people were further intimidated through public naming and shaming. The govt. also sued these people for any damage done to property during the riots that went alongside the protests (regardless of who were responsible for the riots).

Going by the same token, will those who escaped the isolation and quarantine be now named and shamed in public? will we see governments sue them for the loss of productive hour and earning of such a vast number of labour force across the country or at least in their city? will we have them sued for the additional ‘tracking and mapping of movement’ that the govt. is forced to do? will they be asked to pay the salaries of the govt. employees who are deployed for all these activities? WHY IS TAX PAYER MONEY BEING USED TO COMPENSATE THE ARROGANCE OF THE PRIVILEGED CLASS? LET THEM PAY!

2. WHAT IS THE ‘HOME’ IN ‘’WORKING FROM HOME’? — Interesting question raised by a colleague today. While isolation from society is a reason to stay at home and work and all work cannot be done from home, there is also the additional challenge for several people who have never stayed home and worked. Couples for the first time getting to be aware of the challenges of their working spouses’ limitations, people having not such great feel about their house getting restless / stressed out because they find themselves suddenly confined to the house, worse people with bad memories or accumulated energies and forced to now stay and work in that space called ‘home’. This is where being mindful, meditative and spending time in reflection is helpful. Home is not the living space or co-inhibiting space or neighbourhood, it is where one resides in comfort. Some people are in comfort wherever they go, others need specific comforting aspects to feel at ‘home’, it is good to reflect in these difficult times as to what we think is our ‘home’. LET’S NOT ASSUME THAT ALL ‘WORK FROM HOME’ IS GOING TO BE EASY, LET’S PRACTICE COMPASSION TO THOSE DISTURBED ‘AT HOME’.

3. HELP THY NEIGHBOUR — STAY SENSITIVE TO THE NEARBY NEEDS. There is a complete lock down in several states and cities across the country as it should be. It will help to isolate those infected and ensure that the spread is contained, is it too late to do this? I am not sure, but, good that it is happening now at least. With all forms of vehicular traffic being stopped, please bear a thought to your neighbour who doesn’t have a private vehicle of their own. Please bear a though to the elder living alone. To those who are patients and need supplied of medicine / treatment to keep themselves going. SHARE YOUR VEHICLE WITH ALL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, SHARE YOUR FOOD THAT IS HEALTHY, SHARE VERIFIED INFORMATION THAT IS OF USE.