CORONA DAYS

With the Corona cases crossing  five Lakh and the death toll exceeding fifteen thousand, the scene in India is alarming as we may see a further hike in number of fresh cases coming to light in the coming days due to increase in the  daily quantum of tests  being conducted.The comparison of high or low figures of incidence being deceptive leaves little reason for complacency.
The media focus on Delhi and Maharashtra concentrating on high figures of  incidence and mortality  suggests some bias as they are losing sight of or deliberately underplaying the fact of the test conducted / being conducted  per million of population state wise.A just and proper conparison is likely to present  a different picture from the one being projected now. When some reasonable voices talked about accelerating the pace of tests the same were  scoffed at and were not given the attention they deserved . In between till now we have seen the issues of tablighi Jamaat, and exodus of migrant labourers rushing to their homes in very compelling circumstances. Now we see the return of labourers to various  places to resume work after lifting of blockdown.There is no immediate remedy in sight , the WHO also talking about the development of a vaccine not before a year.
For a long time to come there is going to be no respite from taking precautions like mask wearing and  physical distancing. Worst hit are also the students, e -classes and online teaching proving but a poor and not a viable alternative. The resumption of economic activities may provide some solace in terms of employment. The resumption of  normal life  for all  seems a distant dream !

LEFT OR RIGHT

As I type this holding my cell phone in my right hand  and  tap my left hand finger on the  keyboard, the thought amuses me. If  I were to write the text on paper, I would do so with my right hand. So what I am, a  lefty or a  'righty'?

In Cricket jargon  I am a right- handed batsman but a left - handed bowler.

I am told ninety percent  of people are right- handed, which is considered the norm. The remaining ten percent are left- handed or lefty which is an aberration . I choose not to use the somewhat harsh sounding 'abnormal'.

There's in built tendency to be right handed or left handed depending on which side of the brain is more active. It is widely believed that right - handed people have more active left side of the brain and converse applies to the  left handed people. I call those parents and teachers naïve who force their kids  to  use right hand for writing and eating , quite ignorant of the  medico- scientific reason behind. It is also an established fact that left- handed people are intelligent, creative geniuses , no less than the others. 

However they are disadvantaged as regards the use of some appliances that seem specifically made for the right handed people. For example the domestic sewing machine. Another disadvantage came to my notice  during my University days where I found seminar chairs  in class room fixed with mini tables on the right side. My left handed friends had to keep extra chair on the left to be able to place  note book    on the table and to write. 

The term 'left handed  compliment' smacks of a built-in bias.  On the ideological side, left and right  represent diametrically opposite views but more of that  later !

CORONA DAYS

It needs no rocket science to know and conclude that we are a highly indisciplined lot. The Government in its 'wisdom' decided to loosen the grip of lockdown  and unlocked many a place to enable people to resume economic activity to save the country from a further economic disaster. It didn't mean that everything was fine or that   Corona had lost its teeth. To the contrary the per day addition of cases at  ten thousand or thereabouts  has become alarming . The projection that Delhi alone might account for 5.50 lakh cases towards July end, not to speak of the escalation country wide  is really worrisome.How are we going to cope up with this should be the concern of everyone. Admitted we have a large number of Corona Warriors who have risen to the occasion to face and fight the menace head on, some of them have lost their life also because of the all time attendant risk. This does not need to overemphasize that we are  miserably short of equipment of every kind  that is required, in addition to the manpower which of course we seem to have in abundance.
In the wake of the present scenario, we could at least take minimum necessary precautions in our own interest and of others around. There were reports of a Restaurant serving customers inside , while only taking away eatables is allowed. When the authorities went to stop them, the customers started protesting .
Similar is the case with non observance of social distancing. In some places this might be difficult but could be best avoided at many places. There was a picture of  men sitting huddled on benches, like in  ordinary times albeit with masks on, while the dogs were lying asleep maintaining the 'desired 'distance. Not a sign of educated and
informed  persons, we claim to be.
Lastly, small courtesies like  going in hordes to congratulate someone and to offer good wishes  on assuming office  better be  kept for normal times .

Corona is there and can not be wished  away. Even local visits to near and dear ones are a big No. This is going to be pretty  long  before we can expect visits from kids who are working hundreds of miles away. Corona has forced us to have a superhuman or subhuman existence in Aristotle's term.

SUNDAY MUSINGS

These last few days saw the country wide  protests in the US, over the brutal killing of  George Floyd , a 46 year old black  America by Police, the culprit being one Derek Chauvin, the Police Officer who asphyxiated the victim by kneeling over him when he was handcuffed and lying down. ' I can't breathe. ..' were the last words Floyd was able to speak. The killing triggered protests and the protesters  closed in on the White House, forcing President Trump to withdraw into a bunker.The protests are continuing. Most touching was  the picture of a number of protesters , all white, prostrating on the ground holding their breath for nine minutes , literally empathising with the victim.  It was ironical to have such a killing happen in the US that raises hue and cry over alleged violation of human rights elsewhere. However the worldwide protests do hold some hope for humanity . How the law deals with Derek Chauvin will be something to wait for and watch in the coming days.
Back home, the killing of an innocent pregnant elephant at Mallipuram in Kerala  saw country wide protests . It transpires that the elephant strayed into a village and ate a cracker filled  pineapple  . Suffering in silence and
partly submerging into a pool of water, to seek some relief , the 15 year old  elephant died after 3-4 days.
As expected, Ms. Maneka Gandhi , a BJP leader and an Animal rights activist waxed eloquent  on the matter . She came in for severe criticism for showing  concern for the  elephant and not uttering a word on the plight of migrant labourers heading home on foot and suffering hunger, thirst and  some of them even dying on the way.
All said , no parallel can be drawn over the two sad incidents except that both speak of our cruelty and insensitivity as a people. Close on the heels of the elephant episode is a similar incident in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh of a Cow getting injured by eating some cracker filled stuff. How come people have come to use such insidious and invidious ways of killing animals that harm their crops.

In all a sad commentary on the humans losing humanity and acting inhumanly !!

Corona DAYS

कॉरोना जो कराए वो कम है, और जो न कराए वो भी कम है ! The invisible Virus has made its presence felt any time, any where so much so that every one has become circumspect about the presence of the other. The safety mantra is to think that  every stranger you see or come across is a Corona victim and a potential carrier. Leading a retired life, I can afford to sit smug at home, not encountering many mask wearing persons. Somehow, I have become used to the daily visit of milk vendor and the garbage collector.

The other day, I had some problem with the Net connection of my Computer and unwittingly made a  complaint online telephonically. The signals having improved considerably, I am able to do net surfing on mobile but for some purposes, I need to work on computer.
The BSNL man rang up and asked about the problem . Avoiding  home visit for understandably good reason he suggested some  possible remedies but  none worked. I did not  press him much but he came and joined the broken wire and restored the. connection. I thanked him and he left. But  a storm was waiting. After a short while, the lady of the house had finished her pooja and came out. I became the subject of her ire and she took remand saying why I had to call someone and couldn't I put up with a little inconvenience  ! I could see the concern behind this tirade, as I being of age expressly reported to be vulnerable and susceptible, could bring trouble on me and resultantly on her also. It took me a while to pacify her .
How excessive concern can sometimes become cumbersome !!