I was just watching the reporting of the current Covid catastrophe in my motherland India 🇮🇳 on CNN. It was an objective coverage with some heart wrenching visuals of perpetually burning funeral pyres and Covid patients literally gasping for breath on makeshift beds in temporary outdoor facilities in 100 degree Fahrenheit heat as Oxygen supply was running out. The poor patients left high and dry like fish out of water. The scenes were chaotic and ghastly.
We may say the Western media projects a negative picture of India. No denying and there is some truth to it. Yet we feed enough fodder to them by adding fuel to the funeral fire. We have a popular Odia Adage - "BAARA BARSA RA TAPASYA SUKHUA PODA RE GALA", transliterated, "Twelve years of penance has been swept away by consuming barbecue dry fish".
It simply means, down the time travelled road all the accumulated efforts and perseverance in creating the image of India as a powerful, emerging economy, a vibrant, aspiring middle class, a burgeoning global powerhouse - all stand decimated by a single stroke of these devastating visuals. Like the story of the monkey on a bamboo pole, if we climb one foot of development ladder, we are brought down by couple of feet - back to square one.
Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. In this divided world I can't change someone's perception, nor I thrive to do so. But we can't deny the fact that this marauding virus is claiming lives in droves every day, driving all crazy. It has impacted my friends and relatives - some too close for comfort. A clueless administration is running helter skelter like a headless chicken. How much ever we try to sugarcoat the situation, we have failed ourselves at every level. The truth hurts and absolute truth can hurt absolutely.
Feel sorry for those who are trying to choke facts, control a section of the media, social or otherwise. We want to be a champion Democratic society. But when it comes to freedom of expression and reporting truth not palatable to the ruling dispension we want to be like China. A la good terrorists versus bad terrorists, we are treating BJP led government in Delhi as good, Kejriwal led government in the same city as bad, or vice-versa depending on which side of the spectrum you are. Blame game and finger pointing at this point is not going to help.
I am remind of this epic Kishore Kumar number :
SACCHAI CHHOOP NAHI SAKTI,
BANAWAT KI ASOOLON SE;
NA KHUSBOO A NAHI SAKTI,
KABHI KAGAZ KE PHOOLON SE.
(Truth can't be suppressed,
By manipulation of powers.
Fagrance can't ever come,
From paper flowers).
Yet Hats off to the less vocal section of people who are doing a commendable job by working tirelessly in a challenging time. Having said that, let's hope we learn our lesson from prematurely letting our guard down to see this day and going forward stay a step ahead of the next crisis. Nothing lasts forever. This too shall pass.
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