After almost 72 hours, today I ventured out of home primarily to get some milk and secondarily for fresh veggies. I don't know about other parts of the city or the country but here ( Keshtopur, Kolkata) almost everything is available. Though, a few notches below the normal times. Milk, fish, chicken, eggs, packaged bread, and vegetables are sufficient in quantity and the price is also normal. People were wearing masks or covered there faces with handkerchiefs and more or less avoiding close contacts with others. Police vans blaring instructions and civic volunteers trying to control the crowd were also visible.
There was not much of a mad rush when I went out - about 8 in the morning. One reason may be that at the initial stage, people had hoarded to their heart's content. The other reason could also be, as explained by a gentleman bargaining with the fish vendor - it was the last week of the month and salary was still four days away. But the shelves of the grocery shops looked sparse and there were small queues before them.
I got a litre of milk, then also bought some biscuits and a packet of chanachur. As such I don't drink milk normally but use it to prepare Dahi at home which I have for breakfast regularly. Then I got some vegetables too - carrot, beans, bitter gourd.
The fish vendors were calling out the customers. The price was just a wee bit higher than what they should be normal but not too exorbitant. Fresh live smaller Rohu was Rs 250 per kg and a small variety of Pomfret Rs 450, to give you an idea. I got a 650 gm Rohu for me. Satisfied, I didn't linger and returned back. The entire operation was completed in 25 minutes. I'm now good for another 3 days of self incarceration and without Dahi would be fine for 4 more days. Hopefully, the scourge will diminish by then.
******************
This lockdown has emphasised so many things that we have ignored in our lives or wished away as old fashioned values. There are many lessons for us to learn, which I daresay won't be done. Looking at it, I don't think the fear that people are experiencing is only about losing their own lives. We all understand that we can't live forever and when the time for goodbye comes, there's no way to stop it. And if we have life destined for us, then we can live on, despite anything and everything even in a vegetative state. And still, now, the death rate from the virus is low, compared to other viral diseases and lifestyle diseases that we call upon to ourselves. So that's not the real problem.
The fear stems from something else. It is more about the near and dear ones. It is about the part one plays in the probable death of someone, by accident, ignorance or negligence. Despite so many negatives and selfishness that we display, this human perception is the reason that the Covid-19 menace weighs upon our minds, collectively.
I personally believe that the virulence of the disease will not stay too long and we may see it tapering off by mid-April. And, India may manage to escape the severe depredation by the virus. Call it a prophecy or mock me as a budding astrologer, I really wish to bet on it. This has nothing to do with any knowledge or exclusive power but a sixth sense type of perception.
But.. but. ..but....... I don't also believe that we will get a full respite from the menace. It will continue to manifest itself in different pockets and such isolations will be a way of life for many people and many places, going forward. Our only hope to eradicate this virus is an effective vaccine or medicine, hopefully without other side effects. The sooner we get it, the better. Otherwise, Covid-19 will be a real pestilence.
If you notice, in the wake of such threats, our lifestyle changes. Many things we carry on for a long time, even centuries, get dumped for new practices. Take AIDS for example. First we, Indians laughed it off as a sexually transmitted disease of those western people and nature's curse on homosexuals. We were only much bothered about the sex part and thought it to be something like Syphilis or Gonorrhea. By the way, many Indians are still afflicted by these diseases as well as other STDs. We are not, were never, a holier than thou society in the matter of sex or sexual preferences. And after globalization, both the past tricks known and the present social mores gathered have made Indian society much permissive about sex.
But the problem was not sex itself. When people realized that condoms are necessary but not the only way to protect them from sex, and understood that AIDS was not all about having sex only. It could be transmitted by other means too. Disposable syringes, razors became a part of life. Before AIDS happened the syringes for medication or blood transfusion were just sanitized by spirit or some other chemicals. Very quickly, it all changed, even in rural areas and hinterlands.
For centuries, the old type of razor blades (Ustura/ Khoor) was used by the barbers for shaving. Now, no more. In our own joint family, I have seen the common razor blades used by male members for shaving. Sharpening it on a piece of stone was a ritual practiced by the users before shaving. All that changed.
Similarly, now this ritual of washing hands or the use of sanitizers will catch up. Earlier most people were not too particular about common colds or flu. In fact, I guess we have built up some levels of immunity to them. But from now on, probably anybody with a fever and sore throat will feel that extra fear of infecting others and vice versa. The practice of visiting the workplace with fever was always bad. Now it will be deemed criminal.
As I said earlier, till some vaccine or medicine to counter the virus is invented, it will continue to lark around through carriers and the fear is it may also mutate and make itself resistant to natural forces and local conditions into new strains. As it is, the nature of the COVID-19 is different from others. By itself, it is probably less harmful than Dengue, Malaria or even swine flu ( it is actually a variant, I believe). But the effect it has on the immunity system is more dangerous, it appears and therefore people with serious ailments of the organs are in the high-risk category. Another thing to note is that it attacks the respiratory organs most. With the high level of air pollution, the danger is aggravated. the problem is increased manifold by the way it is transmitted and the long incubation period as it remains active.
There was not much of a mad rush when I went out - about 8 in the morning. One reason may be that at the initial stage, people had hoarded to their heart's content. The other reason could also be, as explained by a gentleman bargaining with the fish vendor - it was the last week of the month and salary was still four days away. But the shelves of the grocery shops looked sparse and there were small queues before them.
I got a litre of milk, then also bought some biscuits and a packet of chanachur. As such I don't drink milk normally but use it to prepare Dahi at home which I have for breakfast regularly. Then I got some vegetables too - carrot, beans, bitter gourd.
The fish vendors were calling out the customers. The price was just a wee bit higher than what they should be normal but not too exorbitant. Fresh live smaller Rohu was Rs 250 per kg and a small variety of Pomfret Rs 450, to give you an idea. I got a 650 gm Rohu for me. Satisfied, I didn't linger and returned back. The entire operation was completed in 25 minutes. I'm now good for another 3 days of self incarceration and without Dahi would be fine for 4 more days. Hopefully, the scourge will diminish by then.
******************
This lockdown has emphasised so many things that we have ignored in our lives or wished away as old fashioned values. There are many lessons for us to learn, which I daresay won't be done. Looking at it, I don't think the fear that people are experiencing is only about losing their own lives. We all understand that we can't live forever and when the time for goodbye comes, there's no way to stop it. And if we have life destined for us, then we can live on, despite anything and everything even in a vegetative state. And still, now, the death rate from the virus is low, compared to other viral diseases and lifestyle diseases that we call upon to ourselves. So that's not the real problem.
The fear stems from something else. It is more about the near and dear ones. It is about the part one plays in the probable death of someone, by accident, ignorance or negligence. Despite so many negatives and selfishness that we display, this human perception is the reason that the Covid-19 menace weighs upon our minds, collectively.
I personally believe that the virulence of the disease will not stay too long and we may see it tapering off by mid-April. And, India may manage to escape the severe depredation by the virus. Call it a prophecy or mock me as a budding astrologer, I really wish to bet on it. This has nothing to do with any knowledge or exclusive power but a sixth sense type of perception.
But.. but. ..but....... I don't also believe that we will get a full respite from the menace. It will continue to manifest itself in different pockets and such isolations will be a way of life for many people and many places, going forward. Our only hope to eradicate this virus is an effective vaccine or medicine, hopefully without other side effects. The sooner we get it, the better. Otherwise, Covid-19 will be a real pestilence.
If you notice, in the wake of such threats, our lifestyle changes. Many things we carry on for a long time, even centuries, get dumped for new practices. Take AIDS for example. First we, Indians laughed it off as a sexually transmitted disease of those western people and nature's curse on homosexuals. We were only much bothered about the sex part and thought it to be something like Syphilis or Gonorrhea. By the way, many Indians are still afflicted by these diseases as well as other STDs. We are not, were never, a holier than thou society in the matter of sex or sexual preferences. And after globalization, both the past tricks known and the present social mores gathered have made Indian society much permissive about sex.
But the problem was not sex itself. When people realized that condoms are necessary but not the only way to protect them from sex, and understood that AIDS was not all about having sex only. It could be transmitted by other means too. Disposable syringes, razors became a part of life. Before AIDS happened the syringes for medication or blood transfusion were just sanitized by spirit or some other chemicals. Very quickly, it all changed, even in rural areas and hinterlands.
For centuries, the old type of razor blades (Ustura/ Khoor) was used by the barbers for shaving. Now, no more. In our own joint family, I have seen the common razor blades used by male members for shaving. Sharpening it on a piece of stone was a ritual practiced by the users before shaving. All that changed.
Similarly, now this ritual of washing hands or the use of sanitizers will catch up. Earlier most people were not too particular about common colds or flu. In fact, I guess we have built up some levels of immunity to them. But from now on, probably anybody with a fever and sore throat will feel that extra fear of infecting others and vice versa. The practice of visiting the workplace with fever was always bad. Now it will be deemed criminal.
As I said earlier, till some vaccine or medicine to counter the virus is invented, it will continue to lark around through carriers and the fear is it may also mutate and make itself resistant to natural forces and local conditions into new strains. As it is, the nature of the COVID-19 is different from others. By itself, it is probably less harmful than Dengue, Malaria or even swine flu ( it is actually a variant, I believe). But the effect it has on the immunity system is more dangerous, it appears and therefore people with serious ailments of the organs are in the high-risk category. Another thing to note is that it attacks the respiratory organs most. With the high level of air pollution, the danger is aggravated. the problem is increased manifold by the way it is transmitted and the long incubation period as it remains active.
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