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Life in MKSSS : Turning an Agnostic to a True Believer

Gargee Thattey
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Life in MKSSS : Turning an Agnostic to a True Believer

Day before Yesterday, was 163rd birth anniversary of a great personality who is well known for improving the lives of many women. My life was going to change the same day when I got admitted to the college established by his Organisation. The date was 1st August 2016 when an agnostic girl like me came here and turned into a true believer of Hinduism and its culture.

Throughout my whole life I had lived in a very liberal or modern background. Though being a Maharashtrian , my parents and my other family members were quite religious and culture loving excluding me. I was a kind of Hinduphobic or agnostic. I avoided everything from clothes to the festivals and customs. Added to it I was a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya situated in IIT Mumbai (Bombay). So anyone will assume that the atmosphere will be little liberal (Indian defination), as surrounded by sons/daughters of quite intellectual professors. Plus the curriculum of the NCERT books provided made me loathe my own religion and culture.

Finally an end came to my High School and soon my college life started. I entered in one of the prestigious institutions of Maharashtra. It was Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha’s Cummins College of Engineering for Women, Pune. I had got admitted to the branch of Instrumentation Engineering for my under-graduate degree. I was nervous as well as excited for my college life. Everything had changed starting from the fast, busy, modern, filmy atmosphere of Mumbai to a lazy(Punekars call as ‘Nivant’), cultural one in Karvenagar, Pune, mother tongue from Hinglish to Marathi and from co-ed school to an all girls college. My second home was now situated in the Baya Karve .Hostel Complex.

A huge colony with 4 Buildings and approximately 1000 rooms for the girls students studying in the institution. Soon I came to know that the founder of my institution was Maharshi Dhondho Keshav Karve, great social reformer in field of Women welfare, a Bharat Ratna awardee. I had heard this name in my life for first time, as in my curriculum of I had only heard names like Jyotiba Phule, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Pandita Ramabai. Maybe because my knowledge was limited to only my syllabus and nothing else. Baya Karve, originally known as Anandibai Karve was his second wife whom he married when she was widowed.

Firstly I felt really embarrassed for having no knowledge about such great personality. Soon I started to settle down in my contrast life that I had never experienced before. I was quite shocked to see the environment in the institution and the hostel. Though my institution was not a IIT, NIT or BITS, but it is really good Institution where the Professors are equally motivating and wise. Apart from the Academics, one good thing was that MKSSS despite being an institution of social reformer never disrespected the Hindu customs and culture.

In our Hostel all the Hindu (Maharashtrian) festivals were celebrated very sincerely. For the first time I came to know about the Tulasi Vivah and the Gudi Padwa rally. The atmosphere of MKSSS taught me the richness of my culture. It made me love my religion. Finally I will thank all my warden ma’ams, teachers in MKSSS for opening my eyes. And I hope that the values of Maharshi karve continue to open every girl’s eyes.

Bend the curve on child abuse

savethechildren
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Bend the curve on child abuse

The world is arguably going through the worst form of crisis which has been unprecedented since World War-II. Around 2 million people in over 180 countries have been affected. India, already saddled with more than its fair share of problems, is doing whatever it takes to handle the pandemic.

The fear of the highly virulent disease has affected the psyche of the whole world and has confined the whole nation to their houses. The situation is particularly bad for the poor, marginalized and homeless which includes children in street situations.

Some argue that the home confinement has had some positive effects including improved air quality and a decrease in crime rate. It is a fact that there has been a certain decline in cases reported of crime against women and children. However, it is also a commonly acknowledged fact that increased stress and financial woes are resulting in violence against women and children. As per the recent news, there have been instances where nearly 30% of the callers on children’s helpline have sought protection from violence and abuse. Data from children’s helpline (Child Line-1098) in India shows that in the first-week post lockdown there has been a 50% rise in the call volumes. This means that vulnerability and crisis that children face, has exacerbated due to COVID-19.

With the loss of livelihood for many, the parents are trying to make the ends meet. In such a scenario closure of schools and confinement of children at home has led to a steep rise in domestic and gender-based violence. In poor households, slums and street situations, with confinement to cramped living spaces, there is increased stress and irritation among parents that is vented out in the form of corporal punishment and violent ‘disciplining’ of children.

With this also creeps in the increased risk of child abuse. We are aware that in many cases child sexual abuse takes place at home and the majority of perpetrators are known to children. Hence it is very likely that a child may be locked down with a perpetrator at home with no option to seek help since the child is bereft of the common routine of attending school or free movement where the child could solicit help.

In urban settings, children spending more time at home is directly proportional to spending more time online, thus increasing the risk of getting abused by online predators. Moreover, with the schools resorting to online modes of imparting education, parents allow children unhindered and unmonitored internet access. This exposes children to various apps, games and other mediums that may cause exploitation and abuse in the long run. As per reports, online child abuse has significantly risen in South East Asian countries after COVID-19 related confinement. 

Hence, with the COVID-19 pandemic related developments, crime/violence against children is being masked behind closed doors and the ‘safe’ confinement of homes. It has only taken an inside turn.

If India is to strengthen its child protection system, enormous efforts still need to be made in the area of creating awareness, sensitization, information provision, behaviour change, sex education, de-stigmatization and legal literacy among young adults.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 provides for stringent punishments for child abuse. The new POCSO Rules, notified by the Union Government in March 2020, not only define the processes for prevention and response to child abuse, but also provide for age-specific, gender-sensitive and child-friendly material to generate awareness on personal safety, and its wide dissemination. However, as with so many other legal provisions, there is not enough awareness among the masses about the provisions. The social stigma associated with reporting such cases is also a big deterrent.

Organizations like Save the Children have been tirelessly working towards generating awareness on child rights including on provisions of the POCSO Act and Rules. A handbook and e-modules on POCSO have been developed for children, caregivers and teachers.

The Leaders of the 21 global Organisations committed to ending violence against children, on 8th April 2020, came together in solidarity to share their concern, and called for action and pledge their support to protect children from the heightened risk of violence and to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on children in every country and community. 

These Leaders have also called upon the technology companies and telecoms providers to keep children safe online by providing access to cost-free child helplines, age-appropriate services and safe e-education platforms – and by using their platforms to share child online safety advice etc.

While the Government and the Civil Society continue to make efforts for the protection of each and every child in India from abuse, it is the duty of every citizen to do the same. The parents and children who are presently in their homes due to COVID-19 situation should use some of this time to gain knowledge about the rights of children and on the general provisions of POCSO Act that are available online at various sources. The child-care institutions should also use this opportunity to impart the knowledge on the subject to children.

While the lockdown and social distancing are being used to bend the curve of COVID-19 infections in India, we could use the lockdown to generate greater awareness on child rights among children and bend the curve of child abuse forever.

The Author, Shivani Bhaskar is Manager – Policy & Advocacy  (Child Protection) at Save the Children, India

RIP addiction

HIMADRI CHAKRABARTY
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RIP addiction

At the outset, I lend my commiserations to all the addicts across the world. They, who often fell prey to their instincts earlier, have become scavengers of their desires now. They, whose existence came to a standstill sans their “essential goods and service”, have decided to move on. They, who brushed aside the doctor’s counsel, have learned to become patient. The due credit for this complete turnaround goes to a 120 nanometer Coronavirus.

The Corona virus has not only hit the health and economy of the countries but has also exposed the hollowness of addiction. The usual alibi for addiction has generally been that it allows you to think, ease the nerves and allows few moments to escape stress. In the ongoing lockdown times, all these oft-quoted alibis have been sacrificed at the altar of the virus. Yet the addicts are still thinking and surviving, as if to suggest that worldly celebrations have been substituted by sagely celibacy.

The “Work hard, Party harder” corporate allusion has gradually become an illusion. As employees are working from home, weekdays and weekends have converged. The weekly diversions through the joy of letting one’s hair down has proved to be ephemeral compared to the sameness of the lockdown times. Nature is teaching a punishing lesson of how not to cede to stress by staying indoors and with one’s own family. She is challenging the innate capabilities by forcing you to live in the existing inert times.

The addicts have often been loathe to realize their inherent weaknesses and instead implicated that addiction has been their road to strength. Now, there is palpable frustration at not getting an overnight drink of liquor, but for how long? Now, there are intermittent urges to have a puff of cigarette, but for how long? Now, there is an insurmountable need to consume drugs, but for how long? Alas! the Coronavirus has unwound the clock and refuses to allow a deadline for the lockdown. Their bosses tell them, “Either perform or perish”.

The Corona is commanding the addicts, “Either reform or relinquish”. This is when the helpless addict is compelled to clinch on to the small joys of life. He realizes how difficult it is for a child to stay indoors earnestly waiting for his working parents to reach home from their respective busy schedules. He understands how the retired and older generations have to lead restrictive lives. He pities the fate of the stray dogs and the cats who roam around to fetch their daily morsel of food. And, finally when the addict goes to bed, he still has a sound sleep having realized the futility of his unfulfilled addictions.

However, there are many who boast of having hoarded the necessary addictive substances well in advance, displaying tremendous foresight. One of my friends who managed to be an expert hoarder recently joked over a call, “I am planning to start a startup for sanitizers (as they are expected to have 70% alcohol content) considering the amount of alcohol I have hoarded.” While the hoarder addicts admire their skills, the society is certainly better off.

Quite paradoxically, a selfish act ends up being a selfless move with more and more addicts having less and less balance of their respective substance at the stores. Further, the apparent joy of addictions stemming from being in a social group gets disrupted due to the strict social distancing norms. Once again, the virus adds to its parable in explicitly showing how much of the addiction is a result of peer pressure and how the human mind is weakly immune in resisting the external shocks.

The Corona virus is actually re-aligning the differences among needs, wants and demands by indirectly hinting that you can demand only what you need irrespective of your purchasing power.  Essentially, the wants have been further trivialized and Nature is handholding you towards self -control. The acceptance of this realignment is not merely a resignation to one’s own fate but a universal show of mental toughness for the sake of survival. The regular addicts must have never imagined that abstinence from their favourite substance would be an indicator of toughness thus proving the veracity of the popular adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”.

While it is true that life would soon return to normalcy, the question still remains, “Will addiction subside?” Possibly not and the Corona would retreat unsuccessful, somewhat amazed at the human audacity and spirit for spirit. It will certainly inform its kith and kin to land on the Earth again in some other form to keep challenging this spirit. Thus, Nature would keep giving gentle reminders to obstinate human habits. She knows that the cigarettes would be back on stores, the liquor bottles on the counters, and the drug peddlers back to business. But by then, the virus would have certainly exposed the parasite in each one of us to addictions. The guilty human conscience would prick from time to time, lest the mind forget the effect of lockdowns on addictions. As far as the present is concerned, the virus has been latently successful in ripping apart some of the addictions. The future will decide if the addictions can RIP (rest in peace).

Then they ‘woke’ me up.. – a lucid satire

furyhighbury
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Then they ‘woke’ me up.. – a lucid satire

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
Daniel J. Boorstin

I’ll be honest I’m no good at analogies but how do you reckon if it’s legit until u make one..right? The movie Parasite is one I can draw parallels with. This one film deemed ‘wet dreams of orgasmic proportions’ for critics and masses alike. Now don’t get me wrong..it was, in every way, magnificent and will be considered great for years to come..BUT and that’s a big ass but (no pun intended) is this the only flick that deserved all the overly pretentious love and enforced cloud of selectiveness. The dearth of competent films, off course, cemented its place up top but no one talks about how equally good our own local films like ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ and ‘Aamis-The Ravening’ had been. It’s this infatuation towards a particular affair and stupefaction to others equally important that we’ll try and emphasize here. Delays aside, time to address the elephant in the room. As we try and dig deeper to this behavior collectively, I would like to break it up into attributes that reeks of double standards and gleefully patronizing every so often. Arguably, an ‘orderly chaotic’ conduct is the most relatable oxymoron one can think of.

Note: Inside jokes won’t be spoon-fed with.

Vilification thousandfold

A govt., in its extensive tenure, is liable of making mistakes. The hysteria as a response in our country is laughable though. A little mishandling of situations and there’s a mass frenzy next up, spamming your timeline. And off course there’s these vultures always looming out for some negative news to feast on. The balancing nature of these chaps revolve around overthinking and over presenting anything that gives meaning to the circumstance. Narratives are sold faster than ever and wokes are drawn to it like moth to fire.

Every conflicting argument with these posers meet the same fate and that of a template called “Modi is a fascist, you are a bhakt” which seriously has reduced every comebacks to nothing. They have set up the premise and hyped it so much that I think whenever Modi appears, the dictator tune “dada dada da aladeen madafaka” automatically hits their karaoke. Ok let us, for a moment, assume that modi is this sinister, mass murdering, totalitarian psychopath that they all project with ball’s to the wall abomination, then how in the world do you walk in one piece after you rip into him black and blue relentlessly. Seriously? I cannot think of a more surreal situation than a guy slapping a grizzly bear and then making a dab to its face.

Art as a propaganda

“If it ain’t broke why fix it?” is my school of thought and with a heavy heart, I gotta say that this subject is broken beyond repair. Gone is the antiquity, when artists were like saints and kept themselves from involving in politics. In this era of downfall, you can easily cross path with a couple of them brainwashing pigs. Contemplating most of their line of work, I stumble into a whole passage of twisted, half cooked n misled facts. Kunal kamra, the bulimic comedian infamous for all wrong reasons, recently released an interview with BJP MP Tejaswi Surya wherein he used uncooked facts just to belittle the guest. He was then confronted by an internet historian True Indolology who literally had to pull up facts to substantiate his claim. For a moment, imagine the kind of malign that feeds into the mind of those viewers who certainly might’ve enjoyed the content but on the long run, developed that sense of hatred at someone’s expense. “Humor, off course, doesn’t kill the gaffer but it’s the hoodwink with small dosages of venom that seeps it’s way into his drink”. And Not to blow off the domino effect that is to follow. Same is the case with authors and filmmakers, pouncing on every other opportunity to defame or even glorify real life subject matters in the garb of symbolism and metaphor.

Fun fact: speaking of symbolism, when the song “Azaadi” plays in the opening scene of Gully boy, the lead Murad is shown stealing cars. Lol. The farce is crying out loud fellas !!

Then there is freedom of speech, which in itself is pretty subjective. Should there be a threshold limiting the same? I don’t know. Having said that, only thing I’d like to add – nobody gets to disrespect, exploit someone’s decency or even mistake it for ‘right to abuse’.

Minority appeasement

As covid-19 cases in Assam mounts to 29 and counting (as of 10th April), almost all of them are directly linked to Tablighi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin Delhi. What’s so daunting if the indigenous people are straight of the shoulder calling out what was clearly a negligence by a certain community. Not surprisingly, the backlash from the pseudo liberal lobby as usual, was uncalled for.

Orthodox from every religion are assholes of highest order no denying. The biases strike when a fringe hindu group does something as stupid as drinking cow piss or smear cow dung onto their faces. Gaumutra jibes follow suit for weeks, naming and shaming the entire religion. I’M HINDU I’M ASHAMED placards flashed all over. All I long for is the same intensity from these “free thinkers” when a maulvi says Corona is Allah’s doing on kafirs and nothing touches those who offer namaz 5 times a day. When corrected, the affirmative justice certainly, is either in the form of poor monkey balancing or you’ll be tagged islamophobe if it’s your lucky day(which in most cases it is).

I have said it before, I’ll say it again “there’s no concept of minority in India”. What was started as a well planned spiel by the British, nurtured by communists through course of history, sadly still runs strong, all thanks to politicians and separatists. Trajectory to give moral high ground to the minority has given rise to many anarchy like circumstances almost every time leaving government at the losing end of negotiation. To boot, riots turned into pogroms overnight to politicize and reinforce the victim angle.
When Guru Ram Rahim of Dera scandal was nabbed and riots broke out, shoot at sight was imposed without a second thought. But when arsons were ravaging the streets of Delhi in the aftermath of anti CAA protests, the govt. couldn’t gather balls to call something as stern..why?? coz they know a demon called secularism will pounce on to bite in the ass if they do.

The state of utopia these so called intellectuals live in is so deep that they clearly lost the plot and its perhaps the reason why they can’t see things in black and white. Figuratively speaking, they’re all wise old men, the kind of specimen who wouldn’t bat an eyelid to any news “coz they run agendas”, but then ironically fall captive to few. Debunking the same theory, however, is a stockholm syndrome so strong for someone with catchphrase like “kaun jaat ho bhai?”

I’m a centrist

“Bigotry doesn’t come with a badge but it isn’t like farting next to the waterfall either”. Here’s the thing with one of my friend – Quite often he appears to be deeply stung by “cruelty to muslims” and reflects so to his ‘Instagram story’. Before I could even empathize, in the very next story you spot him having a lavish dinner at a luxurious hotel. Believe me, that FACEPALM was my biggest till date. Tell me if this is not an acute level of virtue signaling then what in dunya is. Problem is, it doesn’t stop here.. a short stint on many PR activism goes on to show peoples vested interests and cynical motives by political stooges. We have seen this time and again from Sabarimala to Aarey forests and many. For someone tweeting at a speed of 4 t/s from their studio “2bhk” apartments, this sickens me to core how insensitive one can be without knowing the grave of the situation. Oh and the flamboyance with which they claim validity for their daily dose of scoop is obnoxiously comic. I’d rather take life lessons from a crackhead than have my source of authenticity lie around selective fact checkers like Alt News and Dhruv Rathi.

With the ideology war stronger than ever, the tide has turned hard on someone like us who sometimes bat for the system. Even an opinion is enough to make them squeamish. Also in your argument be ready to be sabotaged by Political correctness which in my opinion is one of those passive aggressive act of snobbishness that people use a defensive tool to brandish they are aware..that they are woke.
Silver lining off course is there are still a couple of rationale people around, who puts equal weights on both sides of a weighbridge and are brave enough to call spade a spade. A little pat on the back for them.

Human mind is susceptible to various adaptive behaviors, the progression validating its advance out like a ballsack on a Friday. If nurtured properly, it can conquer the greatest of innovations but if shit were to go south, it may very well lead to absolute bastidicy. Hence, when life usher you with knowledge, be socially responsible and not just some I’ll tempered, foul-mouthed elitist eager to unleash caligula’s inferno.

You may have noticed that throughout this article all I’m highlighting is call for equality. Everyone’s outlook is their own entitlement and I have no problem whatsoever unless its partial, one that might as well sucker punch their own moral ethics. For me, I’m a jingoistic, overcritical, rude narcissist but will sooner perish than don the mantle of hypocrisy, someone who’d rather be liberated than loved. No, don’t call me the B word, not again, c’mon you’re better at it.

Fighting Covid-19 requires collective effort: Nayati Medicity doctor

sethivikram
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Fighting Covid-19 requires collective effort: Nayati Medicity doctor

Dr. Harbhajan Saini, Director of Anesthesia & OT Management at Nayati Medicity, Mathura, discusses the steps that can be taken to control the Covid-19 outbreak  

These are unprecedented times, entire globe and humanity is going through a crisis, India is no exception. This may sound as once in a lifetime event but it is not going to be the first not the last. In the past we have faced similar epidemics but not at a similar scale, Nipah epidemic of 1998 or Indian Swine Flu of 2015 are examples. We have dealt with epidemics in the past and no doubt we will sail through this one too. Managing this epidemic (now declared Pandemic) will teach us many lessons that will help us deal with such events lot more efficiently and effectively. As anaesthetist/anaesthesiologist we have significant part to play and we should take pride in how significant our contribution is going to be in this crisis.

When we learn to walk it is inevitable to fall, collectively we are on a long journey never undertaken before and with no definitive ETA (expected time of Arrival) or the final destination. Coronavirus is making us learn many new lessons that we should have learned long ago. After the initial fall we should bounce back and that would be our ultimate victory and solace.

Every problem is an opportunity to move out of comfort zone to grow and find newer solutions and technology that have never been thought of.

This is an opportunity for every individual, society, every organisation and every government to walk an extra mile. DESPERATE SITUATIONS DEMAND DESPERATE AND WELL STRUCTURED MEASURES EFFECTIVELY DELIVERED on ground.

Let us remember that WE ARE AT WAR. We are at war with a difference that we have an invincible enemy and absolutely silent weapons in action be it social distancing and enforced lockdown.

It is time we rethink what can be done by us to make sure the history is shaped appropriately and we are proud as an individual, society and as a nation.

WHAT CAN AN INDIVIDUAL DO?

1. Be indoors. Use this opportunity to get better physically, mentally and spiritually.

2. Be disciplined. Follow standing instructions to be indoors. When out for shopping, maintain social distance and help others do the same.

3. Work from home if possible.

4. Be honest and self-report if you have been to high risk area or have symptoms suggestive of flu.

5. Although you are home you are not on leave and think how you can contribute to the working of the organisation that has given you employment. There is always a way out if you have a will.

6. Not to forward unverified messages on social media. Repetition causes media fatigue and it is counterproductive.

WHAT CAN THE SOCIETY DO?

1. Everybody should start working to be self -dependent. There is no one to wash your dishes, clothes or your cars anymore. None should depend on domestic help. All the domestic assistance is under lockdown. Encourage them to stay away from you. Pay them their salaries even if they are not working for you during this period. This is a service to mankind.

2. Everybody should help their immediate neighbours (with appropriate social distancing and hand hygiene) in carrying on with daily activities of life. It can be anything, smallest of deeds can make a big difference.

No healthcare worker should be harassed. In fact when they are working in hospital and are in forced isolation subsequently, their families should be looked after by neighbours and the organisation providing employment.

WHAT CAN THE NATION DO?

The soldiers in this war are the Healthcare Workers, those involved in providing essential supplies and those involved in maintaining law and order. These people need protection from the epidemic and it is important that they are provided personal protective equipment (PPE), which should be in abundance at all times.

1.The government should declare a state of NATIONAL EMERGENCY.

All the government machinery should be redirected towards maintaining law and order, security and essential supplies.

2.The military and paramilitary forces should be called into action. No one can enforce discipline the way they do it.

3.There should be one command centre at the Parliament and all state CMs should start taking direct orders from Central command force.

My view on Yogi Adityanath’s Govt – A common man’s perspective

nitk
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My view on Yogi Adityanath’s Govt – A common man’s perspective

Yogi Adityanath or Yogi ji was appointed as Chief Minister of UP in March 2017. I was surprised and somewhat skeptical of the decision. People like me who think of them as “moderate” were expecting that BJP will go with someone safe. A person who is the head of a prominent Hindu math (monastery) and wears saffron cloth looked like a polarizing figure. It showed an arrogance on BJP’s part to appoint Yogi ji as Chief Minister.

Start of Yogi era and initial work that come to mind:

  • Crackdown on cow smuggling, slaughterhouses
  • Focus on law and order

No surprise that Yogi Government caught the eyes of media from very beginning. I do not recall reading any positive news as such. Some initial decisions of the Govt were shown to be biased towards minority. Media highlighted lack of experience of Yogi Adityanath in administration. At one point, it did look like it was not such a wise decision to appoint Yogi ji as CM of most important state for BJP.

So, what do I think of performance of Yogi Govt after 3 years in power? I think it has been OK so far. It can certainly do much more and much better. This opinion piece is about what I have liked with this Govt and what it should do as an immediate priority.

What has Yogi Government done well?

  • Improved Law and order: There have been some controversies on how rule of law was firmly implemented but it is without a doubt that state is in a better situation now.
  • No scams, corruption at top level: There were reports of corruption in tenure of previous UP Govt, especially in recruitment in Govt jobs. There has not been any accusation on this Govt. Although widespread corruption does exist at lower levels and it will continue to be.
  • Well organized large events
    • Khumbh mela: Last mela happened in Prayagraj (Allahabad) in 2018-19. It had an estimated 12 crore visitors. It is perhaps the largest religious gathering in the world. Personally, I have not been to any Khumbh Mela but I am told that Mela in 2018-19 was well planned and organized.
    • DefExpo Lucknow 2020: Held every 2 years, it is the largest exhibition of military technology in India. This year’s event had the participation from 70 countries, 170 companies. As country is trying to focus on indigenous military technology development and their export, such events are crucial. This was the first time DefExpo happened in UP. It was organized very well and appreciated by several defense journalists.
  • Peace in state (No riots): Barring few incidents, there has not been any riot. Govt has been accused of hard handedness and some controversial decisions like seize of property. But mostly peace has been maintained in state. By the way, why should not there be a law to penalize protestors for damage to public property?
  • Handling of Corona virus: This to me is the biggest achievement of Yogi Govt. Yogi govt has handled the situation superbly so far.
    • Monitoring at top level and early focus on hotspots, districts has made sure that situation is well under control
    • Govt machinery is very active. In my locality, there are deliveries by Parag dairy. It never happens in normal situation. Daily essentials are available as well and shopkeepers are conscious of overpricing to customers
    • Some new initiatives like manufacturing of 60 crore masks are welcome as well.

What Yogi Govt should focus in immediate future:

  • Job creations, for everyone: Unemployment rate in state is high. It will get worse due to coronavirus. State needs jobs of “all collar”.
  • e-Governance: I recently had to get a certificate from Govt department. I found that earlier when there was no e-Portal, process was much better, faster, and less expensive. Now one needs to apply at website which usually does not work (no customer support as well). If and when you are done with online application, offline file process continues.
    Govt needs to follow the model of passport services in India. A private company must manage website and operations. It is the only way I can think of to make life of common man easier. Otherwise we would continue to be a society in which rich and powerful get things done at their convenience. Others try to find a “jugaad” or come with cash. Usually one needs both jugaad and cash.

Unity in Diversity: A different perspective

Prashant Bajpai
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Unity in Diversity: A different perspective

Unity in diversity, the quote with which we’re acquainted properly. Our country is the youngest nation with the oldest civilization. When the whole world was lied in the darkness of ignorance, Vedas and Upanishads were being composed in India.

All the civilizations of the world like Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek or Chinese, have been vanished and now have wound up in the chapters of history. But what is that particular matter of fact due to which our Sanatan culture is still thriving. In Allama Iqbal’s
“Kuch baat hai ki hasti mit-ti nahi hamari,
sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zahan hamara”
what is that particular “kuch baat”?

For figuring out this, foreigners like Hiuen-Tsang, Faxian, Megasthenes visited India and introduced our spirituality and equanimity to the world.In sense of diversity, India is a nexus of communities and religions. But what is that spirit and what is the ideology that unites us? Undoubtedly the answer is our Sanatan Hindu culture, which is remained alive because of its religious flexibility and property of absorption, for more than 5000 years. Our culture has preserved the integrity by the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam.

If we talk about present, even if India is tagged with secular country, but recognizance of our country is concerned with ancient Sanatan Hindu culture. Our only uniter is our religion, an instance of gratefulness and tolerance.  A variety of regional societies like Bengali, Marathi, Tamil and Kashmiri, demonstrate the diversity but all are a part of common religious affliations and abiding homo-perceptional culture.

For an example, Kashi Vishwanath in north to Rameshwaram in southern most, Mallikarjun in east to Dwarka in farthest west, the whole nation connects itself religiously. Likewise a number of prevailing languages are spoken in each region and certainly one can’t understand the others. But at auspicious and religious moments, what language is used? None other than Sanskrit. Nationwide we’ll find Sanskrit with exact particular accent and that’s how we all are tied up in unique faith. Hence any region or community is not much significant but the values of culture and ethics are. That’s why Kailas Mansarovar, Angkor Wat are part of Indian culture, not of China and Indonesia.

So unity in diversity doesn’t belong to a mass of various communities but our Sanatan Culture is itself an live instance of it. We may be a part of any society from anywhere; it is diversity, but we’ve our unique identity as Indian, which is unity.

-Prashant Bajpai

What if a virus could speak for itself

prtojha61
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What if a virus could speak for itself

The cute and spiky Coronavirus…err…SARS-CoV2 (I have a name!) has been the object of ridicule since everyone welcomed the onset of 2020. With an industrial output of honors conferred upon it by proponents of various schools of thought, the corona crisis has rendered all other perspectives on social interaction obsolete. Everything under the sun is now being viewed through the prism of COVID-19.

Undoubtedly, Coronavirus is a perfect example of the popular idiom which says that big things come in small packages. To me, COVID-19 is a ninja (not because it justifies the original definition of the word) because despite lacking the faculties of hearing and speech, it is so inarticulately articulate in its communication with mankind.

What if the virus were able to speak like humans? We would probably have been witnessing an entirely different version of the pandemic today (or perhaps, not a pandemic at all). After all, even the original creator would not have the intention of wreaking such havoc through his creation. Casting aside the theory of the origination of SARS-CoV2 in a research laboratory in Wuhan, it is safe to conclude that nature is perfect in its allocation of space and conditions to support the survival of its inmates. Should we disturb these settings, inmates can vent out their frustrations in various ways, pandemic being one of them.

In defence of China

indianinwest
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In defence of China

Indian and Western media have been demonising China since the Wuhan or Corona virus pandemic became global. China is being written about as the worst state in current times, a state that has been repeatedly flouting the norms of the international order. Among other things, Western media is accusing China of intellectual property theft from Western states and corporations, of dumping manufactured goods at lower than cost price to Western markets, of using the proceeds from a mercantile trade surplus to fund oppression of it’s own people and enhancing it’s sinister military aggression across South China Sea. Of taking hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs from the West to enrich it’s own people, of funding Wall Street elites including politicians across all Western nations to further it’s agenda of globalisation that in reality means Chinese hegemony. Lastly, China along with it’s pet WHO kept the epidemiology of Covid 19 or Wuhan virus secret for a period of time by when it was too late for the world to react.

All of these accusations are true.

So why defend China?

Because, the accusers from Western media are are all hypocrites and they are exaggerating the Chinese threat. One has to only look in recent past to see why. Vietnam war, war in Libya, Iraq war, Afghan war, Algerian war of independence, several violent regime changes in central and South America. All of these so called liberation wars or regime change wars are in reality conquests of weaker nations and peoples by far superior Western military machines where civilians end up being massacred in their hundreds of thousands. It leaves a trail of destruction far worst then the universal human rights these Western aggressors claim to uphold when they start these conquests.

Even communist Soviet Union bombed Afghan civilians during their conquest of Afghanistan. The fact that most of these wars and conquests ended in failure is nothing to celebrate for the millions from these weaker nations who were killed or lost their loved ones to Western conquests done in the name of democracy and human rights. What about France massacring Algerians because they dared to ask for independence or British killing Kenyans in their fight for independence, both instances of decade long massacres of weaker people by militarised Western democracies carried on till after 1960. All these Western conquests and massacres happened after the end of World War II which western historians call the post-modern age.

China has not done any of this. China funded North Vietnam during the US conquest of Vietnam when over a million Vietnamese were massacred by US aerial bombing and napalm. China supported North Korea in the Korean war in order to have a buffer state against US and it’s allies. China funds separatists in India, occupied Tibet and enabled Pakistan to have a nuclear bomb because it sees India as a threat and does what any enemy state would do. But where has China massacred hundreds of thousands of civilians in other countries unlike the so called Western democracies that continue to do so year after year? This is where facts become uncomfortable for Western media outlets. China at it’s worst is far better that all the western democracies.

Let’s look further back. Japan brutally conquered almost all of South East Asia, all island states and as far as Burma during the second world war. It committed heinous massacres of innocent civilians in China, like the Nanking massacre. What Nazi Germany did is known but what is not commonly known is how the British caused millions to die in forced famines of British India. What about the genocide of complete populations of native Americans by European colonists where almost all original inhabitants were killed of by the settlers. They used biological warfare by deliberately sending viral and bacterial infections in blankets or dead bodies to native populations who were not immune to European diseases. Conquests of Canada, Australia and New Zealand were done on the same basis where aboriginal populations were just killed off.

Further back, the Spanish conquistadors massacred native Aztecs, Inca and many other prosperous societies in the name of religion and for gold. Ottoman empire enslaved and committed massacres in almost all neighbouring states and did so over hundreds of years. Even the muslim conquerors of India were killing and converting millions in India during this time. By comparison, China and Chinese empires were more benign and governed to benefit Chinese people till they were supplanted by Opium and Western colonial aggression. So even historically, China has been a more benign force than almost all of the West and Islamic rulers. India under the Marathas and Sikhs who replaced muslim rule was also benign, but then they were defeated by the British colonial parasite.

China is a one party state and not a democracy. Western political thought states that democracies do not start frivolous wars while dictatorships and autocracies always do. The opposite of this has been true. Western democracies have continued to start conquests and massacres of weaker people across the globe in the guise of either universal human rights or some other fancy stuff. Whether this is their military-industrial complex using Western political elites to go into these conquests or whether the political elite is convinced of it’s evangelical belief, we will never know. What we do know is that the Chinese state under it’s communist party has not gone for any of these massacre causing conquests of it’s neighbours or any other states.

So Western media will continue to rile China without looking in the mirror. But for Indian media, they must learn that at it’s worst, China is a far lower threat to India then all the friendly Western democracies. China must maintain internal political stability which can be jeopardised if it engages in foreign adventurism.

China lifted 850 million or 85 crore of it’s population out of poverty since the 1970s. China’s poverty rate fell from 88 percent in 1981 to 0.7 percent in 2015, as measured by the percentage of people living on the equivalent of US$1.90 or less per day. If India must learn anything from China, it is this.

Evolution of virulence and the ethical dilemma raised by COVID-19

imajinkyajadhav
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Evolution of virulence and the ethical dilemma raised by COVID-19

There has been a long-held belief that pathogens, in the long run, evolve to become mild, lose or reduce their virulence. The effect is believed to be because rapidly killing their host is against their interest. While there have been remarkable and well-documented examples where a virus, new to a host population spreads like wildfire and kills a large proportion of the community, but soon loses much of its virulence. The evolution is certainly the story of the Myxoma virus that was introduced to control the population of rabbits in Australia in 1950.

The myxoma virus was said to lose its virulence due to natural selection because viruses that allowed their host to live longer had a better chance to spread in the population than the ones that killed the host very fast. This is not as easy as said, because it is a multilevel selection problem. Within a host, a virulent variant will grow more vigorously than a mild one, but across host individuals, the ones infected by the less virulent ones will live longer and keep on spreading the virus. Multilevel selection, unfortunately, has been a contentious issue in evolutionary biology, fought more with beliefs and rhetorics than with sound, realistic and context-based models. But the most sensible argument has been that under one set of conditions, the within-host selection becomes more potent than between-host selection and higher virulence evolves.

Under a different set of circumstances, the reverse may happen, and virulence is progressively lost. In reality, we have examples of myxomatosis in which virulence was demonstrably lost, but we also have cases like a small-pox virus which ultimately became extinct but never lost its virulence. We have one more interesting case in which virulence was constant for over a thousand years. Then something happened, and within 3-4 decades virulence was lost almost entirely. This happened with leprosy. Descriptions of leprosy have been there in old literature from which it seems that it has been with us virtually unchanged for several centuries. Then between the 1960s and 1990s, the pictured changed dramatically.

The proportion of lepromatous cases, which is the most severe form of the disease, started coming down monotonically all over the world. Milder forms of leprosy were still there for a few decades, but then they also started disappearing rapidly. This was brought about by a combination of social stigma associated with the disease and discovery of effective drugs against leprosy. One of them in the absence of the other would not have succeeded. The owing attached social stigma, leprosy patients were not being treated in general hospitals. There would be separate asylums or at least different wards. As a result, going to these wards was to advertise that I am a leper, which nobody liked. But patients with a severe form of the disease had to do that. Those with milder forms could hide their illness for a longer time and move around normally in society.

As a result, the more virulent forms were selectively killed by the drug, and the less virulent ones allowed to live longer and thereby spread more. This differential selection was so strong that leprosy ceased to a problem in four decades. Effective drugs were there for staphylococci as well. But they, instead of losing virulence, developed drug-resistant varieties. This could be mainly because a systemic infection, as well as a small boil, was being treated with the same antibiotic. In a more severe form of the disease, the germs would have replicated much more before facing the antibiotic and thereby have a better chance to spread than a milder form of infection. Here selection would favor the more virulent ones and eventually antibiotic-resistant ones. This means that our practices of preventing and treating the disease as well as the social beliefs with which we view the disease influence the evolutionary course of the pathogen.

This certainly would apply to the rapidly spreading and continuously evolving coronavirus COVID-19. The entire world has taken unprecedented steps to prevent, or at least slow down its spread. What is rarely addressed is how the social distancing and lockdown would affect the further evolution of the virus?

If we do extensive scale testing, try to detect and isolate every positive individual, there is a small chance that we might drive the virus to extinction by altogether preventing transmission to other individuals. But this is unlikely and does not seem to be working that way, although it may have slowed down the spread. But what could natural selection be doing under this scenario? If every positive case is in quarantine, more virulent and less virulent strains are both being isolated with the same probability. Let’s assume that every propagule generated from the quarantined individuals has a very small chance of escaping isolation and infecting someone. Just because the virulent ones can make more propagules, they have a higher chance of surviving than the milder varieties. This means we are giving a selective advantage to the more virulent ones over the milder ones and as a result virus will evolve for increased virulence.

On the other hand, if testing kits are so limited that you reserve them for individuals showing considerable symptoms, the milder cases will escape detection and will live and spread. Some of the more virulent ones are also likely to flee if they happen to be in a partially immune individual who can keep the symptoms suppressed. But on average, the virulent ones are more likely to be isolated than the mild ones. As the milder ones spread more, they make the population immune, preventing the spread of the virulent ones further. This, by evolutionary logic, is expected to lead to a gradual loss of virulence along with increasing herd immunity. The logic goes very similar to the lockdown.

If the lockdown is complete, and every case is effectively isolated, only the virus varieties making more propagules will survive. If on the other hand, people with marginal symptoms or mild symptoms go around and mix with the population, the milder variants have a better chance to spread and immunize the community at the same time. But all these arguments are based on probabilistic logic. Not a deterministic one, and there lies the problem. Although on average a relaxed isolation practice will spread the milder variants more than the virulent ones, transiently more individuals would indeed be infected with the virulent ones and suffer more.

Here lies the most basic ethical problem of medicine. If there is a conflict between what is suitable for an individual versus what is good for the population, or what is right in the short-run versus what is good in the long run, what do I do? If we just let go the virus wild, ultimately the virulence will come down as well as herd immunity will build up. But during the process, many individuals will suffer. Who will take responsibility for their suffering?

There is no simple answer to this question, particularly when we have little data on the actual transmission dynamics to make quantitative evolutionary predictions. Creating an excellent evolutionary model needs more critical details on the dynamics of mutant segregation during the transmission process since multilevel selection crucially depends upon that. What I am most surprised to see is that among the multitude of arguments supporting and opposing the lockdown, there is hardly any evolutionary argument. Evolution in viruses is surprisingly fast, mainly when they are spreading on a global scale. What will be the future course of the pandemic will be decided to no small extent by how the virus evolves. But there are hardly any attempts to study the infection dynamics from the functional evolution point of view. There are some molecular evolution studies, however. I don’t have final answers right away, but I am sure incorporating evolutionary thinking in the designing of strategies to manage the pandemic would make a substantial difference. But the facts remain that it is not only a problem of prediction and management; it is an ethical dilemma at the same time.

Main Author: Milind Watve, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune Contributor: Ajinkya Jadhav, Harvard University, United States

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