In the war against Covid 19 we know
that the first line of defence is high level of immunity. Wearing masks, social
distancing, hand washing etc. are not critical if your immunity is superb. Now
this immunity needs to be considered in a broader band than the merely physical
mode. And there are a number of social, spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional
and social factors that impact
physical
immunity. In the attainment of this holistic
immunity everyone plays a role : the
government, medical profession, politicians ,
social institutions and individuals. A comprehensive outlook on life itself and
adopting desirable
practices
are the foundation of this holistic
model
of immunity.
Government’s
role
Let us first examine the crucial role
of the government .The condition of our public health care system is deplorable
with extremely low funding. Even the doctors and health care personnel battling
corona have not got adequate personal protective gear. Very little has been
done to improve medical infrastructure, we have only extended lockdowns. Money
is more readily spent on moon mission, bullet trains, special exclusive air
craft for the President and Prime Minister etc. We prefer to build the tallest
statue in the world rather than save lives of
manual scavengers
cleaning sewers
by
employing robotic machines. Crucial
safety features
of air ports like
Calicut airport are overlooked leading to colossal loss of limbs and lives.
To have a good level of physical
immunity one needs to have positive attitudes, a sense of social security, high
morale with regard to dispensation of justice, a sense of fairness towards all
communities, a trust worthy government, faith in the impartiality of the police,
freedom from the tyranny of bribes and
corruption, decency and fair play from our elected representatives,
confidence in our banking system etc. Unfortunately
much is lacking here because governments are more interested in the prosperity
of their respective political parties than in
the welfare of the people.
Relegating
the stale
‘India Shining’ slogan the new leadership
embarked upon a blitzkrieg of feverish visits to world’s capitals, embracing
and hugging the globe’s rulers , rolling out
grand shows like ‘ Howdy Modi’ , ‘Namaste
Trump’, the now musty
‘Wuhan
spirit’ etc. These much hyped whirlwind world
tours and shows were touted
as
catapulting India to the position of an enviable world power. But bloody treacherous
killings of Indian soldiers by the Chinese, new claims to Indian territory,
bickering with Nepal, never-ending trouble from Pakistan, cold- shouldering
by
Colombo, cancelled projects from Asian
countries etc. have put us on unsure foot in
the world.
Fouled-up
political, social and economic climate
Our politicians are excellent weather
cocks and shrewd chameleons changing their
political colours at the drop of a hat. They are elected by the people
on one party ticket but after their win only astrologers can predict the timings
of their party hopping.
They will desert
their ship for ministerial postings or tons of money. Everyone of them
is ever ready to join the steam roller majority
of the
ruling party
without any
qualms or principles.
These
representatives elected by the impoverished
millions play out their betrayal games in the
luxury of
five star hotels. While NGO’s must account for the last paisa they spend
for service,
these politicians are an
exempt lot. And there is a
‘PM Cares
Fund’ which has no public accountability. So no one knows for whom he cares.
A system
that thrives on hatred and intolerance of
other communities, where police cases are filed against rape victims or their
families, where the digitally illiterate and poor
do not count, where the government turns
certain religious functions into almost a government event ,cannot inspire much
confidence in its
citizens and their
morale and immunity levels are bound to plummet.
The police who are the guardians of
law are often the protectors and shield of
corrupt politicians. No surprise since about 40 per cent of them have
criminal backgrounds. The poor people have the double whammy of protecting
themselves from bad politicians and also from the police who act as their goons
in the shadows. And
these elected
representatives but actual parasites on
the people are given police escort. In some
states police lock-ups have become assured passport to torture and death in
custody.
The banks were nationalized by Prime
Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1969 for the ostensible purpose of making vast
resources available for the citizens of the country instead of only big
businesses. What is the pathetic situation now of
the financial health of these banks? Collusion
between avaricious
big businesses and unscrupulous
bank officials has pushed them to the brink of collapse with crippling
liabilities
euphemistically named NPA or
non-performing assets. The government has made the autonomous Reserve Bank of
India bend to its controversial
economic
policies and fired governors who had a sense of commitment to the people of the
country more than their political masters. But our politicians prefer governors
who love Caesar more than Rome. The net result of all
this gloomy situation is that people cannot
feel any more safe about their
deposits
in government banks .
The future of our cities is
highly uncertain. With congestion, dirt, lack
of greenery, choking pollution and rampaging floods in heavy rain, they are a
night mare in times of calamities like Covid 19. Besides their growth is at the
expense of the countryside which is exploited of their water and natural
resources. It will be no wonder if they turn
into ghost cities in this century itself.
A
larger, more universal view of life and the cosmos.
Deep trust in God, an authentic
spirituality ,
inspiring
religious practices and universal love are
the spiritual
bedrock of immunity as
they promote positive attitudes, loving deeds,
social harmony and peace. An uncompromising commitment to core
human values by non-believers also pursues
the same goals on a complementary track
.
If mankind is
to survive it
needs badly a more inclusive, more empathetic
view of the universe with respect
not
only for every human life and
race, but
also for every form of life including animals and vegetation. We cannot oppress
certain races and the deprived and hope to thrive as a race. We cannot
reap bumper crops with overuse of fertilizers
without soil degradation, endangering lives of future generations; we cannot
wipe out our water bodies for tourist greed
or make the ocean our vast dumping yard
for garbage, we cannot denude
forests driving
wild animals out of their habitats to grab it
all , we cannot ravage and rape nature without disastrous
consequences.
Some primitive religions believe in
pantheism considering everything living as god and worship the powers of
nature. While this is lamentable ignorance,
respect
for nature and its resources is a
‘conditio sine qua non’ for human survival. Ravaged nature has hit back
with devastating climate change, with calamities piled upon calamities in the
form of floods, earthquakes, wild fires etc.
Conclusion
Yes, physical immunity is not
something you can hatch
in a protected
incubator. It is the result and part of a complex of factors that rules our
life. The state must accord everyone a sense
of security and belonging. The administration,
the law courts, the police , the health care system must impart
a sense of self-confidence in citizens.
Only when physical immunity becomes part and
parcel of this integrated
civic immunity
will we
be fully equipped to fight
pandemics
and other disasters. Otherwise
we will implode
like a tottering
dilapidated mansion .
(The
writer can be reached at: adukanildb@gmail.com)
(Published
on 24th August 2020, Volume XXXII, Issue 35)
