We shall overcome!

Like married men, who derive pleasure by groping at their wives body, I find secret desire and pleasure eating hot crispy Dosa with filter coffee at my favourite Restaurant Vijaya Amrutha during my outings. I have been denying myself these indulgences since the outbreak of Corona. I have banned Swiggy and Zomato since long. 

I was a habitual “tea drinker” on roadside shops. In India, tea shops don’t have any taps for washing. They just dip the used tea cup in a trough of water for a second and alas, it is ready to be served for next customer. ‘Upper caste’ Hindus shun tea shops for they are not reasonably clean. But I have not been perturbed by this; for I have read the philosophy of Narayana guru and EVR Periyar.

Clean, dirt-free, uncontaminated and germ- free atmosphere is utopia and impracticable in the country like India. Infection causing germs are beyond the tolerable limits. The hair dressing saloon is another dirty place. You should be having scrupulous observation over the barber when he shaves at your beard; because you must make sure that the barber’s knife has not been previously employed for removing somebody’s dirty armpit hair. So self-shaving is safe, or you could buy an electric trimmer alternatively.

The doctors recommend washing hands often. The kitchen soaps and laundry soaps are just as good as hand- wash liquids. If a fabric based face-mask could give you protection from the intruding virus, so does a cotton handkerchief.

Prefer net banking and online platforms for buying commodities and services. Don’t go to any sort of gatherings. Places of worship are deadliest.

The cinema theatres and luxury busses are big threat too- despite the crowd factor, they are fitted with upholstery seats which act as a breeding ground for the germs to multiply, and it is difficult to disinfect them.

By no means, shake hands with others. Do adopt folded hands Namaste or Salaam (as done by Islamic brethren) Namaste gesture is ancient. Debatably, it could have been in vogue in India even before the time Aryans arrived and made our lands their domicile.  Don’t compare and glorify brahminical social-distancing practices with the present scenario. The former was based on the oppression, caste hierarchy and obsolete beliefs whereas the latter is due to the fear of imminent death on every innocent citizen.

Whether the present calamity is the act of nature or sabotage, it continues to pose a great threat for all humans. Unfortunately it is a high risk epidemic. Inflicted persons might even face an untimely death.

If you come across any family that has lost its member due to Corona, please try to ensure a decent funeral to the victim and you should persuade the bereaved family to cremate the body and not to burry.

Thanks to the doctors, research scientists and paramedics   for their selfless service rendered in these difficult times, numerous patients kept at the isolation wards are now being discharged after their ailment fully cured.

Be SAFE friends, please take necessary precautions but don’t be excessively worried that you might get this illness.

Please throw away the misleading, biased messages with racial overtones, and commercial intent circulating in social network as trash; nevertheless don’t IGNORE the imperatives issued by the competent persons or health authorities.

The readers are entitled to ask me, “Dear fellow, what is the veracity for the facts in this article and on what capacity do you venture to write?”

My humble answer to all is this, “Well Sir, I passed my SSLC examination more than thirty years ago and that too under compartmental system.”

Thank you everyone for the patient reading and your feedback is appreciated.

Srinivas Krothapally

22-03-2020

Rajamahendry