It is often said that images speak louder than words, and this is exactly why pasted a few photographs that I feel, are an apt depiction of life in times of the COVID-19 lockdown in Gurgaon, and perhaps all the other cities of India. The Poster in the above picture, hung across the alley of one locality in Gurgaon exhorts people to stay at home. It also warns strangers not to enter the alley. Added to this the writer of the poster instructs vegetable vendors and milkmen not to enter the lane. The last Bullet point requests everyone to wear a mask and carry a hand sanitizer. These, incidentally are instructions common to all gated housing societies across the country that have been declared Red Zones - locations where COVID-19 infected people have been identified.
The poster is a very strong depiction of how the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected human society in general. Today we view strangers with suspicion, they might be carriers of the COVID-19 virus, who might want to infect other people out of a malicious and revengeful attitude. There have been stories all over the country of the treatment given to patients of the COVID-19 virus by those in the neighbourhood. They have been hounded, ostracised, heckled, chased out the locality, and even locked indoors. There have been equally disturbing stories of paramedical staff being told to leave their rented accommodations by their landlords. Even those who have recovered from the virus attack have not been allowed to return to their homes by their neighbours.
The Coronavirus epidemic has brought out both the good and the bad in all of us. The good things include awareness about personal hygiene, the importance of social distancing in such times (to break the chain of possible infections), and perhaps most important of all a sense of responsibility and awareness about how each individual's actions might impact the rest of the community. All of us have seen how people have helped migrant workers and the jobless by organising community kitchens and distributing food packets. We have seen how everyone has pitched in to help others. The sense of responsibility towards others has increased greatly.
The COVID-19 collection mobile van has become ubiquitous during the COVID-19 lockdown. In some cases, it is a grim reminder of how real the danger of getting infected by the virus is today. The virus does not discriminate between the rich or poor, the privileged and the underprivileged, black or white, man or woman! The presence of such a van in the vicinity is enough to strike our hearts with a sense of unease, fear or even terror. I was asked by a stranger while taking this photograph whether the van had been sanitized. I replied that I was not sure, though it was evident that van was travel-stained.
The COVID-19 epidemic also saw some words used so often that everyone was using them. The words included, social-distancing, sanitization, isolation and quarantine. It is significant how important these terms have become today. The future health and well-being of mankind depend on these practices, we can no longer live with a false belief that we are invincible and that nothing can challenge our very existence on the planet. It is ironical that while our technology has been directed to the bigger things in life, it is the little things, the microscopic viruses that we have overlooked because of our pride and ego.
The COVID-19 epidemic also saw a humanitarian crisis develop in the country. The plight of migrant workers rendered jobless due to the lockdown was highlighted by various news agencies and posts on social media. We could see streams of people carrying their belongings, walking on the roads hoping to reach their hometowns. The lack of public transport meant that many of them had to walk hundreds of kilometres, often without food and water. There were numerous stories of migrant workers meeting with tragic accidents on the roads. The whole situation was an important learning for us. Any emergency and ways to tackle the same needs to take into consideration migrant workers of the country who also happen to be an important workforce that drives the countries development and progress in terms of economy and infrastructure. Many of the migrant workers wanted to go home, to be with their loved and dear ones. Ejected by unscrupulous landlords and having no income, they were forced to travel back home where they could have a better support system. Unfortunately, this mass exodus would have exacerbated the spread of the COVID-19 infection in the rural areas which had been spared from the epidemic.
Finally but not least important of all were sights of empty streets empty roads and markets. The picture posted above is of the entrance to the Sadar Bazaar of Gurgaon, one of the most important markets of the Gurgaon district that used to see huge crowds from neighbouring areas coming in to shop for essentials at the lowest prices. The COVID-19 epidemic has surely affected our economy and the effect will remain for a long time. The Sadar Bazar of Gurgaon happens to be the financial hub of Gurgaon and its deserted look is proof enough of the loss of crores of Rupees of business. Some of the worst affected by the epidemic have been small scale retailers who probably did not have the financial backing that would have tided them through the lockdown.
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