Swooning into some new age

In wake of Coronavirus, countries are asking people to stay at home and shutdown all types of movement in order to put a check on its spread. As all of us know that India is the second most populous country in the world, out of its total population, 40 million people constitute middle class which is further divided into higher and lower middle class sects.

Lower middle class is the one strata wherein family income is Rs 5,000 – Rs 15,000 per month. In midst of this deadly pandemic, lower middle class families got worst-hit as it’s obvious when they were not able to earn in normal days, how could they earn in such a situation? Undoubtedly, they are on the brink of insanity and it seems that this virus is going to finish them very soon.

Being a poor man’s daughter, I know how it is to live in such catch-22  situation. Few days back, a heart-wrenching picture went viral on social media in which a hapless labourer broke into tears while talking to his family. His torn appearance unfolded thousand reasons of his crying.

Some might have thought that he cried for not having money or for well-being of his beloved ones. Whatever might be the reason, he was utterly disappointed and miserable.

We should admit that this lockdown not only rendered us economically backward but it would also give rise to hundred thousand other unimagined issues which we are not aware about as yet.

No doubt, this is one of the few options to curb the deadly virus but it is the need of the hour to swoon into some new age. Certainly, it seems like trudging along the road in a grimy wayside but this is the only option.

We should not sit still and wait for governmental ration packets or for any other mansalwat. For how much a man can wait for 2 kgs of free rice or for 500 rupees? Can he run his household throughout the year with this meagre amount?

As Haruki Murakami, the famous Japanese writer, has stated, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t ever be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about,” we can’t be mute spectators when the virus is playing mercilessly with our lives.

We don’t know when this pandemic will come to an end. We must restart our lives, otherwise we would die for want of bread.