Of Gods, Curries, and Que sera sera...

"The news out of India is beyond scary - I keep sending prayers out for you and your family," a friend from Michigan wrote, while another from New York had this to say, "I want to make sure you are healthy.  The news here is all about how dire it is in India!" From Omaha, "Hope your family is safe and sound.  We are praying India has a quick recovery."

I have been deeply touched by the concern that has poured in from friends across the globe, who have watched the tragedy unfold in metropolitan India, in the wake of the second wave of Coronavirus.  People queuing up for oxygen tanks, queuing up outside hospitals without beds, begging to be helped, queuing up at the cremation ground to have the last rites performed for the departed beloved...it is a heart-rending situation and reflects on how unprepared we were for something of this magnitude. Even though kudos should go to our scientific community for the speed with which it developed a functional vaccine, the central and state governments however remained complacent in ensuring that we were not caught off guard when the second wave hit. 

Therefore it was no wonder that when the second wave did arrive, it turned into a full-fledged tsunami, reflecting the failure of the administration to secure a better way to manage the virus, by equipping the hospitals with  more beds, PPEs, ventilators, Remdesivir, and adequate staff. 

During the first lockdown, while much of the nation's energy was directed towards tracking the super-spreaders and communalising the virus, China had already been in the news for having erected a 1600-bed hospital in Wuhan within ten days, to deal exclusively with Covid-19 patients. Our government, however, chose to boost the morale of an under-equipped health system by having the fighter jets fly past showering flowers on the hospital staff, an exercise which cost the nation's taxpayers millions of dollars. 

Our government got busy congratulating itself, having dispensed its duties by creating a few makeshift skeletal clinics during the first lockdown, which were speedily dismantled as soon as it thought it had conquered the virus, and lead the country to a triumphant milestone. It got busy exporting oxygen, PPEs, and  Remdesivir to neighbouring countries, eternising India's image of the perpetual big brother with the helping hand. Even while the country was reeling under  the second wave, and people gasping for breath, we continued to export oxygen. And according to government sources, 11 lakh Remdesivir injections were exported to five countries since its demand had considerably tapered in India following a dip in Covid-19 cases from December to February. We were proudly patting our backs for having become one of the biggest manufacturers and exporters of PPEs, as in a recent speech, PM Modi gloated over the victory India had achieved in its fight against the deadly virus:

"Friends, it would not be advisable to judge India’s success with that of another country. In a country which is home to 18% of the world population, that country has saved humanity from a big disaster by containing corona effectively.”

While a message eulogising Surdas, one of the blind saints of the fifteenth century India, who, it is being said, through his inner vision had foreseen the devastation caused by Covid-19, was doing the Whatsapp circles, why did our government, lead by a supposed visionary world leader, fail to get the cue from the havoc it was causing in other nations, and prepare the system to meet it head on?  Or did by chance the Prime Minister think that our powerful gods and robust curried diet had chased the virus away from our holier than thou country?

With less than two percent of the population inoculated, and thousands dying every day, India has been brought to its knees. Now, all we can do is pray for respite...and a miracle.