Day #5: Lock Down, Culture of Corruption, Economy...

24th March 2020: Another big day as the country goes into lock down mode for 21 days. I have been on a self imposed ‘working from home’ situation for a week already and now getting ready for another three, From Telugu New Year to the Tamil New Year. Have a safe UGADI everyone. May this new year be a healthy and safe one for you and your family.

1. LOCK DOWN — WE CONTINUOUSLY FAIL BECAUSE OF THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION

2. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR 21 DAYS AT HOME?

3. REALISTIC ECONOMIC RECOVERY — FOR WHOM? WHERE IS RURAL INDIA?

1. LOCK DOWN — WE CONTINUOUSLY FAIL BECAUSE OF THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: I have been consistently writing about how people with ‘connections’ in this country get away with everything. These are our relatives, friends, people around us who have created the environment of corruption; it makes the person with access to or knowledge of getting access to power centres, as the most powerful person in any group or community. The contractor — fixer — agent — tout — pimp — smart uncle, to whom Indian turns to on encountering challenges with the ‘system’. These are the heroes of modern corrupt India, in which anyone with connections to anyone can get away with just about any crime. This evening one of the television channels had a video of a person trying to get past police by showing an insignificant id. card and threatening the police that he will call several people ‘in the right places / power’ who can vouch for him even as he was fiddling rather eagerly with his phone. This is not an uncommon sight in India, whenever a policeman stops any person on the road for a violation, before they even reach for the papers, most drivers reach for their phones to call their own personal ‘fixer uncle’. This is the India that is literally killing others just now. OUR CULTURE OF CORRUPTION THAT WE USED, ENCOURAGED, NEVER FOUGHT, KEPT SILENT, IS THE ONE THAT PROVIDES THE CONFIDENCE FOR SOMEONE ALREADY INFECTED TO NOT STAY PUT AT HOME TODAY. WHEN THE DEATHS GO UP, AS IT WILL, REMEMBER, THE BLOOD IS IN YOUR HANDS TOO.

2. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR 21 DAYS AT HOME? — I am sure there are lots online on this, we have every form of activity providers all marketing themselves and then there is the online television as well. I am just adding a few more — THINK OF THESE THINKS -

(1) What I mentioned above, can we spend some time to think personally, HOW WE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION?

(2) Yesterday the Parliament was informed that there are 100 million migrant workers in this country, yet, much of our response to their plight as they rushed out of our large cities, feeling abandoned, to their native places, was ridicule. HOW DID WE AS A SOCIETY, BECOME SO INSENSITIVE TO THE PLIGHT OF FELLOW CITIZENS?

(3) And overall as a society and a nation, HAVE WE BECOME MORE HATEFUL TOWARDS OTHERS? If so, why? HOW CAN YOU PERSONALLY STEP OUT OF IT ASSUMING YOU SURVIVE THE CORONA ALIVE?

3. REALISTIC ECONOMIC RECOVERY — FOR WHOM? WHERE IS RURAL INDIA? — The guideline for the LOCKDOWN issued this evening, gives exemption to the Share Markets, but, doesn’t give explicit exemption to the farmers. Farmers have crops to harvest in the next couple of weeks, there are cattle farmers who need to graze their cattle away from the habitat, there are small farmers who need to take their produce to process during this period and may lose their earning if they don’t do so. Their life challenges are not reflected in the lockdown guidelines. It is a mistake and hopefully there will be amends from the government. But, their life and economy will be impacted at least for another year. This everyone is predicting and the government alone cannot be doing all the repair, everyone needs to pitch in. SO, IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF ANY RURAL ECONOMIC SUPPORT GROUP ACTIVITY ALREADY, DO THINK OVER NEXT THE 21-DAYS, WHAT CAN YOU OFFER TO THE RECOVERY OF RURAL ECONOMY.