A lot of questions have been going on in my mind. The sudden announcement of a lockdown has provoked many pertinent questions. India is known for its democracy, but putting out your opinion openly on a social platform is still a challenging task, especially when your opinion differs from the crowd. Some opinions might need correction and a good direction, but most of them end up getting criticised or even abused over the comment section.
PM Modi announced a 21-day-lockdown and consequently, the decision locked a number of stomachs, hopes, dreams, minds and the economy. In a developing country such as India, lockdown is the only way to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our healthcare system ranks 145 out of 195, and its budget can neither afford nor manage a sufficient number of ventilators, ICUs, isolation wards, test kits, sanitisers, masks, gloves or doctor gowns within the given insufficient time. Thus, this situation of emergency requires people to stay indoors and maintain social distancing. This monstrous corona, with its super destructive power, may only infect an individual, but can make the entire community vulnerable.
Hence, a lockdown is the only affordable ventilator for us right now. But this ventilator has suffocated the lives of daily wagers, farmers, laborers and underprivileged children. Some donation mediums have surfaced on digital platforms on which the locked down public is donating. The government has claimed Rs 1.73 lakh crores in donations for the poor under various schemes.
I am left in the dark, thinking whether these funds and donations would actually benefit the majority of people? There are lakhs of villages and remote areas in India. Due to the lockdown, daily wagers and laborers are going back to their villages. Are these labourers able to get their right to eat and live? Have we thought about the roadside beggars even once? Have we asked ourselves where they’ve disappeared or are being compelled to escape during the lockdown?
Now that we are suddenly caged inside our four walls, we feel frustrated, perplexed and suffocated. However, we somehow manage to get a basic meal to continue sustenance and survival. But what about the thousands of homeless people on streets? Where are they going for shelter to obey the lockdown?
When my mind catches the thoughts of the underprivileged children, conclusions like quitting education, getting abused, surviving hunger, and dealing with poor mental health peaks up. Children in cities too are suffering from mental health issues due to this lockdown. However, the rural livelihoods remain vulnerable to a higher probability of suffering financially, physically and emotionally.
Have we thought enough of the girls and women trapped in an unsafe and hostile domestic environment? Within a week, there was a spike in gender-based violence in India, according to the National Commission for Women.
And have you thought about your local Panipuri wala? Ice cream stalls, badam stalls, chat, and tea paratha stalls, cobblers? Everyone who makes a living out on the streets? Do their families have access to basic food amidst the unplanned lockdown? Nonetheless, several middle class and underprivileged youth, with burden of feeding their families, are now miles away from their employment. Can we understand their level of depression?
Modi government’s lockdown plan is the only immediate and effective way. But sometimes, it’s not just about the government. However, I wish enough attention was attributed to the flaming problems in the country on a priority basis before this pandemic. As of date, around 5,900 cases have been reported, and the numbers don’t seem to bow down. It is time that we abide by the rules and look after our mental health.