The Indian Panorama

Tag: Kumbh Mela

  • Exploring Indian Vegan Gastronomy

    Exploring Indian Vegan Gastronomy

    By Murli Menon

    I turned vegan on 2nd October 1996 after suffering a near fatal head-on collision with a truck driven by a drunk driver. After 14 years of being on a strict plant-based diet, I decide to research plant based street food for my forthcoming book ZeNLP vegan recipes Compassionate Cookbook. I decided to travel to the Kumbh Mela (pilgrimage) in 2010, which happens every 12 years. I knew that as millions of pilgrims gathered at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 2010, street food vendors would follow and I could record and research many vegan recipes and photograph vegan street food at Haridwar, saving me time and money. I planned to raft down the Ganges from Kaudiyala to Rishikesh while also going to the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.

    The journey from Ahmedabad to Haridwar was uneventful except for the beautiful sunset clicked over the hills of Mount Abu. The train was crowded with devotees proceeding to Haridwar for the Kumbh Mela to reach before 14th January, which was the most auspicious day to take a dip in the Holy Ganges since 1998. By a meaningful coincidence, at Haridwar station I met three young ladies, each from England, Netherlands and USA, who were seeking directions to go to Rishikesh! Soon, all four of us were in a taxi to Rishikesh. The journey took us through the outer fringes of the Rajaji National Park, where we could sight some stump-tailed macaques! After checking in at the Garhwal Mandal guest house at Rishikesh, we proceeded to Kaudiyala to complete the thrill of river rafting while returning to Rishikesh. Body surfing while hanging on to the raft in the ice-cold waters of the river in mid-January was a bone-chilling experience. Kathy, Kristen and Naomi, who were teaching English in China, were travelling to Rishikesh for a break. After returning to Rishikesh, I headed to Haridwar for the Kumbh Mela. “Lakhs” (millions) of pilgrims from all over India had gathered for a once in a lifetime experience. Taking a dip in the freezing waters of the Holy Ganges at 4 AM in mid-January reminded me of my dip at Lake Mansarovar in Tibet! However, it was a boon to my immune system as all my cells got rejuvenated after swimming in the placid waters of this mighty river. It surely is one of the most powerful experiences to discover the power of mother nature. Exploring the impromptu food stalls at the Kumbh as a food detective, searching for 100 per cent vegan delicacies (food which does not contain any product of animal origin or even traces of any animal product) was another aim of my travels for my forthcoming book “ZeNLP-The Power of Veganism.”

    The food-stalls at the Kumbh had idlis (soft & fluffy steamed cake made of fermented rice & lentil batter) and dosas (rice and lentil crepe) jostling for space with samosas (triangular shaped dumplings), dhoklas (nutritious Indian meal with a base of rice and fermented chickpea paste), and theplas (latbread made with whole wheat flour, gram flour, millet flour and spice powders). The effects of the severe winter were compounded by the chilly winds and slight drizzle that seemed to pervade Rishikesh and Haridwar in January. Warming up near community bonfires and sipping hot ginger juice (as a strict vegan, I do not drink tea, coffee or consume sugar because of chances of adulteration of these commodities by products of animal origin). Also, I do not consume any factory manufactured food-stuffs, sold across supermarket shelves. As a strict vegan, I avoid all foodstuffs containing caffeine, chlorine, fluorine, nicotine and iodine. I prefer to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains! I never consume solids after sunset but instead stick to water fasting! Community bonfires are an ideal socialising venue to find out about the latest events and to know the directions to reach the hawkers who sell the most delicious street food in town.

    The trip from Rishikesh to Haridwar was like moving in a caravan. Thousands of pilgrims walking barefoot to reach Haridwar on January 14. Along the way, I met peasants from Bhagalpur, Rabaris (Nomadic Pastoral community) from Gujarat, Bauls (Folk singers) from West Bengal, villagers from Andhra Pradesh, sadhus (Hindu monk or ascetic who abandons all his previous life and takes the path of penance and austerity to reach enlightenment) from Uttar Pradesh, and gypsies selling everything from sandalwood-paste to vermillion. It was a “mela” (large crowd) in the proper sense of the word! Most of the pilgrims braved the effects of the cold by sleeping outdoors. Many ingenuous devotees slept on the shores of the river to avoid the early morning rush!

    After reaching Haridwar, I woke up at midnight to prepare for the trek to the ghats (staircase) for a dip before the crowd starts to pour in. It was extremely cold and visibility was limited to the first three steps one takes. However, I trudged along the narrow path to reach the holy river before dawn and take a rejuvenating bath in the rapids as the first rays of the sun strike the earth. The most exciting part of the experience was the feeling of numbness in the fingers which made buttoning one’s kurta (traditional garment, similar to tunica) an achievement! At the ghats, pink-coloured ghagras (traditional outfits worn by women) of the Rabari women vied for attention with saffron Rajasthani turbans, which were a striking contrast to the sadhus smeared in grey ash. It was a free for all with everyone for himself. Hawkers selling towels had a field day. I planned to travel from Haridwar to Allahabad to complete the next phase of my research on vegan Indian street food.

    Being a food detective, it was interesting to know the ingredients that went into Indian street food. I spoke to hawkers, cooks, waiters separately on different days just to reconfirm the ingredients that went into street food. Most of the hawkers were honest and were not aware of my aim in asking the questions, so they replied truthfully. Being a trained ZeNLP master, I could analyse their body language, eye movement and breathing patterns to reject the few outrageous liars. The proof of the banana is in its eating and as I am allergic to even micrograms or even picograms or nanograms of animal products in any food, I could make out the culprits from the aroma of the food.

    One of the greatest advantages of being a pure vegan is to be gifted with an extremely sensitive olfactory sense. I can smell a minute gas leak in any apartment of my multi-story building with amazing accuracy. Also, there is an activation of the latent DNA in every cell of the body which makes digestion efficient and increases the blood flow to the palate and activating the taste buds, to make eating a divine experience. Every morsel of food tastes heavenly, be it whole wheat puris (fried in oil) with alu-sabji (cooked in oil) I had in Benaras, hot steaming idlis and coconut chutney I had at Srisailam, steamed vegetable momos, I had at Rishikesh or the mint coriander chatni (seasoning) I had at Jasidih. My taste-buds have taken a life of their own since I turned a strict vegan in 1995.

    The wide array of street food being sold at the Kumbh Mela was mind-boggling. However, as I was looking for 100 per cent pure vegan food, I could ignore the vast majority of foods which contained animal products. But there were some small pockets which made lip-smacking vegan food, cooked the traditional way. Fruits and vegetables were aplenty. Be it the many stalls selling fresh sweet-lime juice, nimbu-pani (lime juice) vendors or shops selling almonds, walnuts and raisins. I had the vegan street food only as a part of my research on vegan food. During most of my travels, I opted for fresh fruits, walnuts, and raisins. This diet is known as a raw vegan diet in ZeNLP. Staying in a tent on the banks of the Holy Ganges was a great experience. Waking up at midnight to the soothing, gurgling sounds of flowing water, watching the starlit skies bathed in moonlight in biting cold will be etched on my psyche forever! Meditating on the tiny pebbles that carpeted the banks of the river made one connect to the primordial elements!

    Taking a dip in the Holy Ganges on the day of the eclipse was a soothing experience. I could feel the cosmic energy pervading the air as I walked along the river banks to watch the crimson sunset. One could also see the play of the elements as fire, water and earth played their parts to perfection. The fog, mist and frost in the morning representing the earth element, the flowing waters at noon, in the sun’s absence, representing the water element and the crimson sunset was a fitting finale for the fire element. The calmness, serenity, peace and quietness experienced while meditating on a bed of stones while watching the river rapids connect one to the macrocosm is unparalleled. It reminded me of my trek to Kailash Mansarovar along the banks of the Kali River, where I had meditated on giant slabs of stone which were strewn along the river banks. Impromptu showers were my constant companion during my trek through Rishikesh to Haridwar. After spending a week exploring the vegan food here. I returned to Ahmedabad. The photographs of the delicious recipes of street food explain my gastronomic experience at the Maha Kumbh Mela. (Murli Menon, is a travel writer, stress management consultant and author-based at Ahmedabad, India. He is the author of “ZeNLP-Learning through stories” published by The Written Word Publications, “ZeNLP-the power to succeed” published by Sage publications and “ZeNLP-the power to relax” by New Dawn Press. He can be reached at zenlp@rediffmail.com)

  • Gross mismanagement of pandemic and a failed govt in denial

    Gross mismanagement of pandemic and a failed govt in denial

    Barely two months ago in February the Government and the Bharatiya Janata Party declared victory over Covid. BJP adopted a resolution hailing Prime Minister Modi’s dynamic leadership as an example to the world. The Union Health Minister exulted that the endgame was close. Overconfidence was such that the Election Commission announced an expansive poll schedule; the Government gave the go ahead to the richest cricket tournament to go ahead on schedule.

    The overconfident government permitted the once-in-12-years Kumbh Mela to be advance from 2022 to this year. Precious resources, manpower and energy were diverted to manage elections, the religious festival and cricket matches. The Government which had failed to arrange trains for migrant workers last year went ahead to arrange for 25 special trains to ferry the pilgrims.

    While the Prime Minister continued to solemnly ask people to stay indoors, put on masks and maintain social distance, he himself and his ministers sent out mixed messages by claiming that India had overcome the pandemic and holding road shows in poll-bound states without masks. New facts are tumbling out daily over the past few weeks, which call the government’s bluff on good governance and its gross mismanagement of the pandemic. It encouraged irrational and unscientific cures with the health minister himself promoting Baba Ram Dev’s magic cure branded as Coronil.

    The Government encouraged research on the efficacy of Gayatri Mantra and Yoga on Covid-19 patients while withholding funds for genome sequencing of samples. Despite being aware of the country’s vaccine manufacturing capacity pegged at seven Crore doses against the requirement of 180 Crore doses, it did nothing to secure vaccines from manufacturing companies abroad unlike other countries. License to manufacture vaccines were denied till this month to public sector companies with past experience.

    While it boasted of having ramped up hospital beds, the second surge of Covid has exposed its complete unpreparedness with two to three Covid patients forced to share beds in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital in Delhi. It had the time to set up oxygen plants in hospitals and increase the storage capacity but once again it was complacent and took its eyes off the ball.

    The government, one suspects, has used emergency provisions to spend enormous sums of money on advertisement and communication. That is why its failure to disseminate credible information about the pandemic and the failure to contain panic are so glaring. While police in the national capital and in several states went berserk, beating the daylights of people found without a mask, the uniformed force turned their eyes from ruling party workers taking out rallies, organizing roadshows and seeking donations for the Ram temple without masks.

    The WHO dropped Remdesivir last year from its approved list of medicines to cope with Covid. But the government created an artificial shortage of the medicine and allowed its hoarding and sale at exorbitant prices. It failed to communicate to the people that 99% of the Covid patients can get well at home. It failed to convey that only around one percent of Covid patients ran the risk of death.

    It is a different matter that it botched up the treatment of even these one percent of the cases, just as it botched up the vaccine rollout. Even more amusingly, a government which calls for ‘one country-one tax-one election’ and so on has now allowed private vaccine manufacturers to charge multiple prices from different users. An all-party meeting and a short session of Parliament need to be convened urgently to lay the road map ahead.

    Global press turns guns on India, blames Modi for failure to tackle second wave

    For image-conscious Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the foreign press’s reviews of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic must make devastating reading. Modi has gone from hero to minnow in fighting Covid-19 in the eyes of the world press as daily infections have soared to successive new records. After appearing to have skilfully ridden the first Covid wave with one of the world’s strictest national lockdowns, Modi has been engulfed by the second, according to the verdict of the foreign media.

    Headlines like: “Modi flounders in India’s gigantic second wave,” in The Times, London, have been typical of the coverage that the Prime Minister has been receiving as the daily count of new Covid cases has barrelled past 300,000. The Times has blasted the government’s response to the latest coronavirus wave, saying it has “underscored the air of complacency and denial that have dogged his government’s response to the crisis.”

    “The system has collapsed: India’s descent into Covid hell,” said an equally blistering headline in The Guardian, which led its main story with a photo of flames soaring high in a crematorium. The newspaper added: “Many falsely believed that the country had defeated Covid. Now, hospitals are running out of oxygen and bodies are stacking up in morgues.”

    International coverage which had focused on Brazil as the global Covid disaster zone has now zeroed in on India as the place where the pandemic is raging out of control.

    The global press has turned its guns especially on the Central government for having been complacent and not being prepared for the second wave. Also, the government has been castigated for holding mass election rallies in West Bengal that may have worsened the situation. The decision to allow the mega Kumbh Mela to go ahead has also been roundly denounced as reckless. International newspapers have splashed their front pages with pictures of huge crowds of mask-less devotees pressed against each other and accused the Indian government of lacking the courage to call the gathering off for fear of alienating their Hindu supporters.

    The Times which makes a ferocious attack on the Central government says: “The speed and ferocity of the second wave have exposed a string of missteps at the start of the year, repeating the mistakes of 2020 and making new ones, to leave Indians facing a tsunami of infection that has pushed the country to the brink of collapse.”

    It also talks about Modi, mask-less, at a West Bengal election rally attended by hundreds of thousands of voters, also not wearing masks, declaring that, “In all directions, I see huge crowds of people….I have never seen such crowds at a rally.”

    The Financial Times departed from its usual sober style to describe devastating sights of people dying while waiting for hospital beds, the disastrous oxygen shortage and apocalyptic scenes of funeral pyres on the banks of the Ganges. It said the latest wave was “sparking a health crisis and human tragedy in India that is far surpassing anything seen last year.” FT also carried detailed charts about the wave of infections, including ones from each state showing rising positivity rates, which indicate the infections are likely to get worse.

    FT, too, blamed the government for the devastating second wave, saying: “The devastation has sparked outrage at the lack of preparation among officials who believed the worst of the pandemic was over.”

    The Washington Post led one of its stories with an aerial shot of a Muslim graveyard in Uttar Pradesh showing a large number of freshly filled graves. It said: “In India, this surge is not a wave but a wall.” It added: “In some cities, crematoriums are running their furnaces round the clock.”

    The Washington Post divided the blame between, “more contagious variants of the virus, as well as an early relaxation of restrictions and a slow-moving vaccination campaign.” In another story, it also described damaging vaccine shortages in various states.

  • Hectic activity at Singhu as farmers renew protest call amid Covid crisis

    Hectic activity at Singhu as farmers renew protest call amid Covid crisis

    It has been over 200 days that farmers have been blocking the Singhu border and other areas just outside Delhi to protest the three contentious farm laws. But even as they continue the fight to get the government back to the negotiation table, a more pressing challenge confronts them now in the form of a second and more potent Covid-19 wave.

    While India, and especially the Capital, is seeing unimaginable losses owing to the second wave, farmers’ unions at the Delhi border have refused to vacate the protest sites and are determined to continue the path of confrontation. In fact, one of the largest farmers’ organisations of Punjab, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), has called for more people to join the protests starting this week.

    What satellite images show us

    The entire stretch along the Singhu border has turned into a township of sorts extending up to 4 kilometres in length. Hundreds of tents and makeshift accommodations have been set up to house protesters. This location is just on the other side of the Delhi border.

    The entire 4-kilometre stretch imagery is an exclusive image shared by @detresfa_ to India Today, made available by Maxar Technologies and Google Maps.

    Covid concerns

    Growing concerns of a Covid spread in protest sites have often been discounted by protesters by comparing the congregations at Kumbh Mela and in election rallies across different states.

    The protest sites have the potential of becoming a new Covid epicentre. In January 2021, the Supreme Court criticised the Centre for not ensuring strict enforcement of Covid protocols in protest sites. The civil surgeon’s office had offered to set up testing units at the protest sites, but farmers’ unions refused to cooperate.

    BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh spoke to journalists over concerns regarding the second Covid wave. He agreed there are concerns about the safety of protesting farmers and their families, but this was not the time to call off the protests. He opined that unless the government repealed the farm laws, they cannot afford to lose the gathered momentum.

    Many of the farmers also cited the example of Shaheen Bagh, which used to be the epicentre of anti-CAA protests. The site was forcibly vacated because of Covid, and since then, the movement has lost all the gained momentum.

    Singh, however, assured that they are taking necessary precautions and ensuring that everyone wears a mask and cooperates with officials at Covid testing centres set up near the protest sites.

    Highway blockades and diversions

    It is noteworthy that farmers have been protesting since October 2020 and as per the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), these highway blockages have resulted in losses amounting to over Rs 600 crore owing to the non-functioning of toll plazas.

    Farmers, on the other hand, claim over 300 of their brethren have lost lives during the protests. The governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have enhanced pressure on farmers’ unions to vacate the protest sites on Delhi’s borders, namely Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur.

    The Union Home Ministry is working with the two BJP governments, along with the Congress government in Punjab, to make farmers’ unions understand the severity of the second wave. All three state governments have started conducting aerial surveillance of the protest sites and setting up makeshift testing centres for protesters.

    Singhu and Tikri are two of the most important border points between Delhi and Haryana, and these continue to remain closed as of today. The Ghazipur crossing connecting Delhi and UP, however, is open for those travelling to Ghaziabad from Delhi, despite the other elevated highway continuing to remain blocked. Commuters have been asked to take routes passing through Anand Vihar, Loni DND and Apsara borders, and all carriageways connecting the Delhi-Noida Chilla borders are open right now.

    There have also been accusations of protesters blocking the transport of liquid oxygen cylinders for medical use. Farmers’ unions, however, have denied this. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a representative body of several protesting farmers’ unions, said on April 21 that they have kept a way open for emergency services since Day One of their agitation.

                    Source: India Today

  • Prosecute Modifor COVID Deaths in India

    By Dave Makkar

    In last one year, rather than deploying resources in healthcare & vaccines; Prime Minister of India was busy in promoting himself, superstitions, quackery and mythology for Covid treatment like ringing of bells, banging of plates, clapping, lighting earthen lamps (diya) or candle, using Cow urine, Cow Dung, Quack Ramdev’s Coronil, his own minister Arjun Ram Meghwal’s Bhabhiji Pappad,and showering flower petals from helicopters on healthcare workers.

    On April 21, 2021 India become number 1 country  in the world for highest covid infections with 314,644 cases https://www.google.com/search?q=covid+infections+in+India+on+4-21-21&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS879US879&oq=covid+infections+in+India+on+4-21-21&aqs=chrome..69i57.26014j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    AND  2,104deaths https://www.google.com/search?q=total+covid+deaths+on+Jan+8%2C+2021+in+USA&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS879US879&oq=total+covid+deaths+on+Jan+8%2C+2021+in+USA&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30.17870j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8, beating USA with 300,669  infections & 3,895 deaths on Jan. 8, 2020 in a single day. On April 21,2021 Covid infections in USA haddropped to 64,853&879deaths for a single day.

    300,000 plus covid positive cases on April 21, 2021.
    2,000 plus deaths on April 21, 2021.

    Trump lost elections because of his initial sloppy handling of Covid and rising Covid infections & deaths. Voters punished himfor that despite his administration worked on a war footing to get/develop vaccines by different Pharma companies for the entire world.Under Operation Warp Speed initiated in April-May 2020, billions of dollars were given to Pharma companies in USA, UK & EU countries for rapid development of a Vaccine. His administration totally revamped the healthcare infrastructure from testing tomedical supplies manufactured in USA, to availability of additional beds.

    On Sep. 18, 2020, USA had 48,887 infections with 949 deaths and on that day, Indiahad peaked with 93,337 infections and 1,290 deaths. Think about it, India got almost a year. So did America. The second wave is hitting in America too, and the entire world. Entire universe knew about it that there will be a second and third wave. The only way humanity can be saved is rapid vaccination. Still Modi had no clear vision or plan or will or honesty on vaccinating Indians.

    In USA, as of April 20, 2021 an average of 3.5 million shots are administered each day and nearly 1 in 4 adults are now fully vaccinated. According to CDC about 130 million or 50.4 % of the adult population have been vaccinated, 86.2 million or 33.5% of the adult population from 18 & above had been fully vaccinated. Vaccine doesn’t mean second wave won’t infect. Many have been infected despite being vaccinated. But the good of the bad, for which the second wave has not yet taken the form of an epidemic in America is the vaccine preparedness of this country.  Today, America has 600 million Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in the special warehouses for its 340 million people. On top of that USA’s Fiscal response to Covid is $5.3 Trillion for 340 Million people with $12,900.00 direct cash payment to a family of 4 making less than $75,000.00 plus weekly Unemployment and Covid allowance. Modi’sfiscal response is $90 Billion (IMF data) for 1,400 Million people with no direct cash payment or unemployment to its citizens not even to poorest of the poor.

    In May 2020, a European-led fund-raising effort brought $8 billion in pledges from the world’s governments, philanthropists and leaders for coronavirus vaccine research.By Aug 2020, US, UK & EU with a combined population of 800 million had placed orders for 850 million doses of vaccine. In contrast, India with 1,400 million population under Modi, placed its first order of 16.5 million doses in Jan. 2021 and later, 100 million to the domestic producer Serum Institute of India. A control-freak instinct took over Modi and he announced only Center would buy the vaccines. There will not be any private buying. Non-BJP ruled states like Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi have  accused the Centre of not supplying enough vaccines. Modi “Nationalized” India’s private vaccine industry and now Indians are paying with their lives.

    Since Modi had no clear vision or plan or will or honesty on vaccinating Indians; instead of vaccinating 1400 million Indians in the country, sent vaccines and medical supplies to 23 countries to assure India’s victory is all around! Knowingly that India is only 1 % fully vaccinated and 7 % has got one shot! Since Dec 2020 rate of infections was rapidly increasing and Modi ignored it, now when Covid has become epidemic, Modi is asking for Moderna and Pfizer vaccines from America! I mean Modi is forced!! The search for popularity is really a staircase to go down. Modi must understand that the procession of dead bodies cannot be stopped by promoting WhatsApp University. When the dead bodies will talk, can hisfans of WhatsApp University then stop this?

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary steps.

    In last one year, rather than deploying resources in healthcare & vaccines; Prime Minister of India was busy in promoting himself, superstitions, quackery and mythology for Covid treatment like ringing of bells, banging of plates, clapping, lighting earthenlamps (diya) or candle, using Cow urine, Cow Dung, Quack Ramdev’s Coronil,his own minister Arjun Ram Meghwal’s Bhabhiji Pappad and showering flower petalsfrom helicopters on healthcare workers.

    Asia’s richest person Mukesh Ambani & his family were seen banging bells made of gold to scare Covid to go away on the call of Modi!

    Unfortunately, Modi is surrounded by “Yes Men” although some of them are highly educated,not uneducated like Modi, but they also believe in superstitions, quackery, and mythology. Modi takes credit for every work including work done by previous administrations even going back to Nehru, and his own ministers. People around him worship him like a Deity, once his minister now Vice President Naidu said,“Modi is a gift to the nation from God”. Recently, Modi, to look taller than one of the founding fathers,Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, replaced Patel’s name with his at the biggest Stadium in India. Since Dec. 2020 the number of daily infections was going up. A spokesmanof Modi, citing that reason, announced that the Kumbh Mela will not start on Makar Sankrantion Jan 14, 2021 but on March 11 and will end on April 10, 2021. It was not that Modi cared about people getting infected and dying; he was more concerned about 5 state assembly elections and influencing Hindu voters with Kumbh Mela. In January 2021, the rate of infections was much higher, still in Feb 2021, BJP declared Victory on Covid under the able leadership of Modi by passing a resolution.

    BJP declared Victory on Covid under the able leadership of Modi in a resolution, February,2021

    That ebullient mood was communicated across the country.  It is not that they wanted to get the economy going but wanted to get back to campaigning.

    CEC, ignoring the infection numbers in Feb & partial March 2021 declared the election dates for 5 State assembly elections starting from March 27 and ending on April 29. The worst hit was West Bengal with voting in 8 phases from March 27 to April 29, followed by Assam in 3 phases and Kerala, Tamil Nadu & Puducherry on April 6 in a single phase.

    An 8-phase election in Bengal for whole 1 monthand a 3 phase in Assam gave to BJP an edge to play Hindu-Muslim card. It also gave Virus a chance to skyrocketagain because of mega election rallies of BJP, being the 2nd super spreader after the Kumbh Mela that was attracting 1 million devotees a day with a total of 100 million celebrants in a month -long festivitieswith no mask andno social distancing!BJP gave a full-page advertisement in local and national newspapers with Modi’s picture to invite people for Kumbh Mela and election rallies. All of this was done when the country was already grappling with a COVID-19 exponential surge on day-to-day basis.

    BJP gave a full-page advertisement in local and national newspapers with Modi’s picture to invite people for Kumbh Mela. (Image : Courtesy TheHindu, March 31,2021)
    Amit Shah at a road show in Bengal, April 21,2021
    No mask, no social distancing!.. Compare this with a strict lockdown when India had just over 500 cases.

    Since 2014, there is a Hindu vs minority, including lower castes, Hindus and especially Muslims, narrative being promoted in India. It is a narrative to turn Indians against each other; to turn fellow countrymen against each other that they must hate each other based on their religion and caste. This is a sloppy, lazy and promiscuous argument that has been spreading in India since Modi took power in 2014. After the infections crossed 100,000 in a single day on April 6, 2021, Serum Institute asked for Rs 3,000 crore grant from the government so they can increase production. On April 21,2021, CEO of Serum Institute of India Adar Poonawalla told CNBC-TV18 on a question of price of vaccine. He said that GOI had only contracted for 100 million doses. Once the supplies were completed,SII revised the price. The new prices are Rs150 for the Center, Rs 400 for states and Rs 600 for Private Hospitals.

    What Corona did last year –the first wave in India- that was just a trailer of a Tsunami. Because the first wave virus strain came from abroad. The basic immunity level of Indians is a little higher because 70-80% have been living in poor hygienic conditions, breathing foul air and drinking contaminatedwater. These are some of the benefitsof growing up in an immature country!

    Modi ignored the warnings of epidemiologists who insisted that India would see a deadly second wave of Covid.The second wave has three major strains – they are so indigenous that they have mutated Indians in their immune system like in non-home ground adventure. It means, the Second Wave with domestic viruses ismuch more aggressive and much more infectious” and was now predominately affecting young people. Now it is people in their 20s and 30s who are having very severe symptoms and themortality rate among the young people is high.  There is a shortage of beds, shortage of oxygen, shortage of drugs, shortage of vaccines, shortage of testing. Some have died waiting in the hospitals for want of oxygen. Some others died at the hospital entrances waiting to be admitted for necessary treatment.

    India’s health scenario: 3 on a bed in a hospital.
    A Covid patient waits in a car for admittance to the hospital in Ahmedabad.

    India is going to have catastrophic loss of human lives in the coming months and Modi is responsible for all lives lost till now and the ones that will be lost. Modi’s incompetence to deal with the fearful situation can no longer be hidden. It speaks loud in his lack of any vision or plan to deal with the crisis, his criminal negligence of the urgent health care needs of the people in preference for his favorite sport-electioneering- and the mad desire to win elections. He should be held responsible forculpable homicide of thousands upon thousands of children, young men and young women,old men and old women of India. Will justice be done?

    (Compiled & Edited by Dave Makkar)

     

  • Huge crowd gathers for Kumbh, police say difficult to ensure social distancing

    Huge crowd gathers for Kumbh, police say difficult to ensure social distancing

    At a time when the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is again spreading fast across the country, events like the Kumbh Mela pose a particular concern for the authorities. There are big crowds near the river banks who wish to take a holy dip on the occasion, throwing social distancing for a toss. Such a thing is being witnessed in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar, where people have gathered for the second royal bath of the Kumbh early on Monday. The police said that it is very difficult for them to ensure social distancing or issue challans.

    “We are continuously appealing to people to follow Covid appropriate behavior. But due to the huge crowd, it is practically not possible to issue challans today. It is very difficult to ensure social distancing at ghats,” said Inspector-general of Police, Haridwar Kumbh Mela, Sanjay Gunjyal, according to news agency ANI.

    This comes when the country is trying to combat and control the spread of the second wave of Covid-19 that took the case tally to over 13 million. The Inspector-general warned that the enforcement of social distancing at ghats may lead to a stampede-like situation, reported ANI.

    “A stampede-like situation may arise if we would try to enforce social distancing at ghats so we are unable to enforce social distancing here,” ANI quoted Gunjyal as saying.