A big thank you to all the people who helped us in the lockdown

At the outset, I would like to say a big thank you to all the bureaucrats, health authorities, police for making the lockdown in a country of 1.30 billion a big success. Your efforts have helped the country in controlling the spread of the pandemic. In the entire spectrum, the role played by people at the top like the IPS officer to people at the bottom like the police constable has been very important. So, a big thank you to all of you.

An exercise of this level when implemented in a country of 1.30 billion is bound to face many hiccups. Fortunately for us, everything has been managed quite well. Some may say it’s too soon to celebrate and we should wait for some more time. On the contrary, I think we have reached a milestone from where if we look back, we can say with some satisfaction that we are racing ahead of the virus though still away from the final mark.

In this journey, we need to say a big thank you to all those involved directly or indirectly.

A big thank you to PM Modi

It was the captain of the ship who steered it in the right direction. The coronavirus storm was like a tsunami which came with a big force impacting every passenger on board. It is said that before every storm there is a lull. During the lull, the PM asked every passenger to create a sound as a warning to avoid crashing with an oncoming ship. When it was pitch dark, the PM asked the passengers to light the ship to kill the darkness.

Big thanks to the PM as the ship seem to be cruising in the right direction and will soon reach its destined port.

Gratitude to State CM’s

CM’s like Yogi Adityanath, Arvind Kejriwal, Naveen Patnaik, and many others have been at the forefront in this fight against the pandemic. Without a doubt, one can say they have done a great job in ensuring the health of their citizens. When there is a need to use an Iron hand like in case of a particular religious group, the CM’s have acted tough. And when there is a need to be compassionate like providing more beds and quarantine facilities, they don’t lose a moment in arranging it.

Yogi Adityanath has sent 250 buses to Kota, Rajasthan to ferry the students enrolled in coaching classes back home. The bus driver and conductor have been instructed to take special care of hygiene. The entire bus has been quarantined and to maintain social distancing each bus will ferry not more than 25 students.  A very commendable step!

The Bureaucrats are fighting the crisis at the forefront

A mission of this kind was just not possible without the support of the bureaucrats. They have acted as the command officers waging a war against an invisible enemy. Bureaucrats in India have always been criticised for their red-tapism. But this time they need a word of praise!

One of the most successful cities in controlling the spread of the pandemic is Bhilwara in Rajasthan. Now being called the Bhilwara model in controlling the virus infection, the success can be attributed to a lady IAS officer called Tina Dabi.

The 26-year IAS officer, who has been Bhilwara’s sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) can be credited with what is now being called a “ruthless containment” model. It uses a mix of district isolation, aggressive screening in the city and rural parts, quarantine and isolation wards and rigorous village monitoring. Community leaders became “corona warriors” who monitored social distancing in their respective villages.

A big thank you to the Police

Starting from the top rung IPS officer to down the line police constable, they all have played a great role in ensuring that people stay at home. We have been witnessing videos on social media on how the police are beating the common man with lathis but there is a famous saying in India “Laato ke bhoot baato se nahi mante”. It means that few souls only understand the language of strictness.

Today everybody is staying at home and the credit for the same goes to the police. The police have been at the forefront in helping the elderly and the needy with the supply of essential items like daily groceries at their doorstep.

RWA now stands for Respected Welfare Association

The job of a Resident Welfare Association in any society is one of the most thankless ones. The elected members help take care of the infrastructure like road and society maintenance or daily issues like electricity and water supply, horticulture, etc. Despite all the hard work, they are always at the center of criticism.

The Pandemic has made us realise that RWA stands for much more than that. It’s a body of elected members who have volunteered to work for the society on a probono basis. Their role in implementing the lockdown is like the last mile connectivity. A strict discipline enforced by RWA ensuring that people stay at home had made the lockdown a big success.

The RWA has maintained a tight vigil on people breaking the lockdown norms. On the other hand, they are taking care of the boarding and lodging of the security guards. Visitors are not allowed to enter the complex and the grocery delivery guys are asked to maintain proper hygiene.

A Big Thank you to the next-door grocery shop

“The e-commerce business model will spell doomsday for the next-door grocery shop or the Kirana store”. This was a subject of debate across many business conferences with a panel of experts forecasting that the Kirana store will soon wind up. But the “Agnipariksha” or the litmus test has proved the other way round.

When people needed them the most, the e-commerce delivery model failed badly. It’s the Kirana store that has come to people’s rescue during the lockdown. Today every person is saying a big thank you to the Kirana store wala who has taken care of his daily needs from milk, bread, butter, eggs to daily fresh vegetables to staple items like rice, wheat, dal, and many more items.

A big thank you to all the safai karamchari, the security guards, the delivery boys

They are the invisible force who for the first time has made themselves visible. It’s time to show them some gratitude. The person who sweeps the road daily;  the person who collects the garbage from your doorstep; the delivery boy who rings the doorbell and delivers the medicine. A big thank you to you all.

The last category which needs to be shown more respect henceforth is the security guards of our society. Nobody took them seriously and most of the time people tend to get into arguments with them. Well, they have proved their mettle during the crisis and so a big thank you to them.

In the end, I will only say that whenever you come across them just clap your hand to show gratitude. The keyword which has emerged from this pandemic is “Respect”. Respect everyone who has played a key role in this fight against the pandemic.

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