Discover collective national conscience to fight COVID-19

by Abbas Adil

Shafeeq R. Mahajir

Is there another type of virus other than Covid-19, that needs elimination? Well, I think there is. What?  Several, actually.

One, the attitude-virus of loafers who are roaming streets, disregarding government directives, getting beaten up when caught by the police.

Two, the attitude-virus of a government that suddenly announces massive lock-downs unmindful of distantly separated families, daily wage earners unable to access or afford transport, countless people stranded without provisions, and does not have ready a mitigation plan to provide succor: What logistics would move enough money to the zillions affected, provisions including perishables through massive distances?  Disaster Management plans so far would have factored in specific affected areas, enabling other areas to be disbursement points, relief stations, etc., but when the entire country is in lock-down…?

Recall what was noted when Shaheen Bagh happened? The take-away was that the women of the country had now stepped out into the open, a la Faiz’s aaj bazaar mein, paa ba-jaulaan chalo… The genie was out of the bottle and wouldn’t go back in: the country’s women had come into their own? Well, this is not about Shaheen Bagh, except to recall what was then said, because what was then said of Shaheen Bagh is true of very many other matters too.  Such as?

Three…well, the attitude-virus of a police force that tasted free hand violation of constitutional imperatives as well as police manuals, which pseudo-empowered them into continuing with the malfunctioning avatar anytime, every time, all the time: they had tasted legal immunity, political insulation, matters which augur ill for society (but then who the Dickens cares for society anyway, now ?), and will now be extremely difficult to reverse, requiring the combined wisdom-skill-grit of Julio Ribeiro and KPS Gill… and a political hands-off policy (again an illusionist’s naa-mumkin dream). Now all over we have policemen “forced” to ensure lock-down is understood as lock-down not as loaf-around, by thrashing people: it’s not just that one migrant worker died in another state, not that one lady doctor was brutalised closer home: it is that something very wrong is being normalised, allowed to happen, and that again is something that augurs ill for society, and will now be extremely difficult to reverse…

“Are you joking?”, I hear. “What else can be done to teach those fellows the lesson they need?” Well, I have an idea that was tried successfully in the US four decades ago. People were being found drunk, lying on the roadside, passed out. Counselling and fines did not work. So the cops changed method. They found a passed out drunk, they took him in their vehicle, drove him out twenty miles from the nearest fuel station etc., removed his wallet, ID, papers, and jacket, left him there and drove back. His wallet, ID, papers, and jacket could be collected by him if he remembered which police station jurisdiction he had passed out in.  Often, these guys trying to hitch rides experienced suspicion, thirst, hunger, long, very long walks to get help, scared about loss of ID, credit cards, clothes…and the experience stayed with them for years. That can be done. For over-speeding, drunk-driving, rash driving types too, the police must realize these are usually the high-society and money-no-issue people, so the effective way to get them to understand is not the Rs.500/- or Rs.5,000/- fine, but blocking them, “grounding them”  then and there for the next one hour: get them (driver and passengers) out of the AC car, stand (no sitting) on the roadside for the hour, fretting at getting delayed, seen as a spectacle by passers-by, the press invited to click photos and publish them, a la name-and-shame.

Four…More to come. The communal virus which everyone talks of eliminating, but none seems focused on implementation. When do we expect to have a country-wide lock-down on communal hoodlums and goons, and of course their support system, the virus-infected politicians who shelter them, the police officials who abet them, and so on?  This virus needs also to be eliminated and uprooted from all press houses, for sanity to stand restored.

Done?  Not yet. Five, the fake-news virus, spreading via infected press-people who shriek supporting screams for wrongs, who brow-beat sane voices, peddle falsehoods as news, mislead the masses: this virus needs also to be eliminated and uprooted from all press houses, for sanity to stand restored.

Six, the hysteria-as-history virus, spreading via infected faculty of schools, colleges and universities, the virus-infected hysteria-as-history people who shriek rubbish from podiums peddling communal hate, corrupting minds, distorting events… this virus needs also to be eliminated and uprooted from all schools, colleges and universities, and minds of those manning those, for sanity to stand restored.

Seven… the slanted-legislation virus, spread via draughtsman who manufacture legislation excluding “other” types but including “their” types, leaving a great loophole-noose called discretion… this virus needs also to be eliminated and uprooted from all legislation.

Eight, the vulgar-display-of-overflowing-daulat virus, spread via billionaire homes in the midst of filthy-squalid-poor areas, uninspired by the Premjis who donate zillions responding to disasters…: this virus also needs to be eliminated and uprooted from all minds, for sanity to stand restored.

Finished? No, but tongue in cheek, not finished but yes: nine, we shall all be finished, if the Temples of Justice don’t start ringing with the sound of truth, are no longer expected to work on the premise that the State must be deferred to, the State must be correct, the State must be afforded time… suffering the masses to suffer the suffering they suffer in their zindagi ka safar

Temples reminds me: ten, many ostensible temples of intended spirituality… the masjid, the devasthanam, the church… that once left people more noble, sublimated, purified, today are power-tools in a Machiavellian scramble for political relevance and domination, shows of force, collection of funds to fund political adventures, everything that is anathema to enlightenment…

Eleven, the make-it-appear-good-never-mind-if-it’s-hollow-talk virus… It needs elimination. I suggest that the Courts must require the State to arrange for food for the destitute and homeless on a war footing, have those army units not assisting civil administration in enforcing law (sounds eerie, that, but nevertheless is there an alternative to the same civil administration?) handle logistics, give NGOs a free hand, invite agencies like Khalsa Aid to step in to help, and also supervise so that what is to reach the masses: food, not cash (for what will cash buy in empty markets, in a cashless economy?) and even where it’s cash, it reaches them and does not evaporate en route, garbage is disposed and slums do not encourage this pandemic to become endemic, ensure water and shelter… The State must seek foodstuff from overseas if needed, move aside political posturing and demonstrate societal responsibility.

Virus ten remains: the silence-virus, of which we are all infective carriers. We, you and I, have the responsibility to raise our voices at this critical juncture for, asking Faiz, I hear him ask “Unkaa dum-saaz apne siwa kaun hai?”

When I asked him whom I should address he responded “Mulk-e-jaanaan mein ab ba ekhtedaar kaun hai?” Taking his turn, he then demanded to know whether one day my country would be able to ask “Dast-e-imdaad ke shayaan rahaa koi hai?” and every hungry homeless be fed.

The virus that threatens to destroy the world order can yet work a miracle and bring us Indians together, rekindle our humanity and while killing much of humanity, kill the inhumanity-virus that has haunted us since independence.

We became aware of a collective national conscience that once worked overtime when a hanging was slated… Today, when the hungry and the terrified have a haunted look on their faces, come let us find mirrors, look ourselves in the eye, and see that collective national conscience rise to the occasion.

Shafeeq R. Mahajir is a well-known lawyer based in Hyderabad

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