World after corona

Shared fantasy

As the cases of Covid 19 are increasing all over the world,there is a growing subdued hope that this pandemic will mark a paradigm shiftin the history of mankind. No doubt there have been diseases before which haveengulfed humanity, and put the human effort at the end of the tether, but thisone is cataclysmic, and the menace is tangible. There was the Black Death inEurope, strong echoes of which are noticeable in William Shakespeare’s writing.There was the flu in early 20th century. However, most of them weregeographically limited in their impact, but Covid 19 is hitting a globe whichis now officially a village. It is circumnavigating the globe like neverbefore. Today the enemy is invisible, and there is hardly any country which isimmune from its invasion. It seems as if earth is eager to shake off humanbeings from its surface. That is why there is hope of a new dawn after thepandemic reaches its peak and dies away. The humanity will be compelled tothink afresh about its priorities; a transformation in human consciousness isgoing to take place. However, there is a need to pause before letting thisoverly optimistic horse to race forward.

   

Frail Hopes

The world is trying to combat a virus, which looks ascience-fiction actor let loose by the wild imagination of the author. Thepharmaceutical companies are breathless in their pursuit of a medicine todefeat this enemy. Old medicines are being tried, plasma therapy is beingutilised, anti-malarial hyrdroxychloroquine has been deployed, and there arenumerous tips and strategies being disseminated to control the spread of thevirus. Almost every medical tactic is being tried to stymy the evil march ofdisease. It seems as if in one go all of humanity has been transported intosome dream sequence, and the bipeds are wondering whether they are dreaming,alive or dreaming of being in an altered state of reality. And there is, toquote William Blake, ‘a mark in every face I meet; Marks of weakness, marks ofwoe.’ While all this is going on, not all seem to care, and are busy with theirown plans.

The President of the US, Mr. Donald Trump, has signed anexecutive order giving his country the right to mine the surface of moon. Whatit means is that in future (when earth will run dry of the ever-growing needsof people) the American scientists can dig into the moon surface, and bringback minerals and other materials for use in their country. He has gone a stepahead, and even set his eyes on Mars, with the same purpose. The medicines arein short supply, people are stranded in ships on the sea, people are dying likeflies, there is problem of essential supplies, human beings are locked up intheir homes, doctors and paramedical staff have put themselves in the line ofrisky duty, and all that the President is thinking of is how to transportmineral cargo from moon to earth. If moon is watching what the rich and themighty have done to her kin, earth, she has all the more reason to beg hercreator to send her further away from the evil human gaze. Further, there isalready an order from the President to create a space force. I will not talkabout the ‘Chinese virus’ (giving a non-living entity a race!) All of this ishappening while most of the US is masked, and even young men and women aregasping for breath, and trying to catch at anything so that their lives aresaved.

Here in India the fever of Tabligh is rising along with theitch and cough of Covid 19. Because of the unfortunate event at the Markaz, thevirus is communalised. The community spread is communalised. The threatsagainst its members are both veiled and open. No one seems to be willing orinterested to break the carapace of hatred. If communalism was a virus, andtesting was done, then the number of infected will surpass those globally infectedby Covid 19. It is rampant and undisguised. Giving the virus spread a communalangle, and thus distracting the attention from stopping the disease, is evil tosay the least. The highest offices of the ruling regime have sent a goodmessage against communalising the virus, but under the same wing, poison isbeing spewed, making the life of a minority community dangerous. This, in thewake of the Shaheen Bagh, and the communal violence which followed. This givesan indication that the battle against the virus is also disunited, some areperceived to be collaborating with the viral enemy; with all kinds of storiesbeing woven to carve an inside enemy aiding in the spread of the virus. WhileTrump is eyeing moon to mine, others are seeking to mine the fractures amongcommunities, to give a long leash to their careers. These are investments of adifferent category.

And I dare not mention the internet speed in Kashmir, whichis on crutches; stumbling, rising, falling and then back on the limp. It mightgain speed equal to the rest of the world, when people bend backwards to pleasethe operators. It was hit by Covid 370, and continues to be on ventilator sinceAugust last year, and perhaps even before.

Future Past

So, what gives the hope that the future will be anydifferent from the past? Even in the midst of the Covid 19 crisis, the oldselfish and inhumane behaviour is refusing to die. What will happen when thethreat is over, and we are back to our routine lives? And, remember, somethingsimilar happened in the past. WWI did not prevent Atom Bomb from being droppedon Hiroshima and Nagasaki. WWII did not prevent the bloodshed in Palestine,incited in many ways by nations involved in WWII. What goes now, amid theraging Covid 19, does not give hope of a post-pandemic idyll free of narrowloyalties and petty national prejudices. The future is no less bleak than itwas after WWI and WWII; one can only hope the collective mnemonic self keepspandemic past in mind for a good future.

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