Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the Nation yesterday, gave two
very important calls: a request for Self-imposed Janata Curfew on Sunday and Clapping for 5
minutes at 5 pm to appreciate the efforts of all those brave citizens who are
working day and night for keeping the people of India safe and secure even by endangering their
own lives.
Due to massive efforts of the Govt. of India, most of the people today know about
Corona Virus and its explicit dangers. Social media too has played an important
role in creating awareness about it. In my humble opinion, a total Lock Down for
two weeks appears to be an effective solution lest we should also follow the Italian
path. Ideally, if there could be a two week long strict curfew, it would have probably halted the spread of this deadly virus but it would have probably created undue
panic among the masses.
Anyway, even as per Janata Curfew on Sunday, most working people are likely to be back home by 8 pm on Saturday and are not likely to step out till morning. Well on Sunday morning at 7 am, the self-imposed curfew will start and will continue up to 9 pm on Sunday. Who will go out at 9 pm in these difficult times? Shops, Malls and Theatres are anyway closed and all sane people are trying social distancing. The time for leaving the house for office-goers and shop-keepers is usually 8 am. This way, we stay put in the safety of our homes for about 36 hours. This may help break the cycle of Corona’s outbreak to some extent.
The second idea was about clapping for five minutes at 5 pm on
Sunday. An excellent idea, I must say. People who are not used to staying put
in the house for the whole day, will come to their doors, windows or balconies
and clap, sound a bell or beat a thaali. Clapping, as we all know, creates a
feeling of well-being and happiness in our minds as it releases stress-busting hormones in the body. Across the world, people clap when they feel happy. Don’t they? Chimes of a bell are always so soothing spiritually. Beating a Thaali is our original traditional way of announcing a good news.So this small five minute exercise will help us to feel good as well as encourage all
those engaged in keeping us safe and going smoothly with our lives, be it Doctors, Nurses, Medical staff, Paramedics,
Chemists, Pharmacies, Police, Indian
Military – Armed Forces, Army, Navy, BSF, CRPF to name a few, essential
services providers like Banks, Electricity company, Jal Board, Govt. officials
and so many others. We owe our life and its safety and security to them.
It was interesting to watch on TV how people in Italy are sitting in their
windows and balconies and playing violin and guitar or singing during lock-down.
In some other European countries they are seen clapping for their doctors and armed
forces who are taking the sick to the hospitals and trying to treat them. Can we also sing standing in our windows/balconies our childhood songs--- We shall overcome or Hum honge kaamyab?
Unfortunately, a few pseudo-intellectuals and pathological critics who are out to ridicule and criticise the Govt and above all the Prime Minister for every single initiative are making fun of the appeal. In my view, both are excellent ideas! Let us ignore the mindless rant of the losers and resolve that we will overcome Covid-19 at any cost, small or big.
We can and we will overcome this too!
