In any modern day working of politics, administration, or even business, the foundational importance of community is an established principle. Finally, it all engenders from a community, and it all returns to it. This realisation has made the modern day governance structures highly sensitive on how a community thinks about, and responds to various decisions taken, and policies implemented. This importance of a community becomes even more emphatic in the times of crisis. Any administration that is oblivious of this fact betrays its poverty in terms of the understanding of the matters on ground. We have been consistently trying to drive this point home that the J&K administration must take the community leaders along on all the decisions and policies regarding this pandemic. Howsoever the force of the governance structures, unless there is a wilful acceptance of the decision at the level of community, the results are not good. In this pandemic we have seen how decisions were taken at the top with a swiftness that couldn’t allow for any bottom level engagements.
That was the compulsion of the times. But as we moved on, we should have talked to the community leaders, and asked for their input, and their cooperation in making people observe the required guidelines. That would only have made things easier for the administration, and it would have reflected in better results in our fight against this pandemic. Now that the top officials in the administration have spoken about it, and sought the cooperation of the community level leaders, it is time to go beyond making appeals. The government can get down to the level of a Mohalla committee to forge a long term alliance in this battle that is consuming life after life, and is devastating families. This might need some professional inputs, and sharing of best practices around the globe. There are organisations at international level who have designed modules on how to involve community leaders to combat a disaster. A professional touch to community engagement can yield very good results, and in a short period of time.