Where is Mr Chronology in the time of Coronology?

If you start doing 'Bhakti' of your 'netas', be prepared to be treated like this........

Corona Outbreak - India's poor left in the lurch

We are currently in the wake of the deadly epidemic of Coronavirus - Coved 19. The world has virtually come to a standstill - literally. We have never experienced anything like in our lifetimes or our parents' lifetime....... so nearly in the last 70-80 years.

We are in Lockdown, staying home, venturing out only to get some essential food items. Schools are closed. Me & Farah are working from home. Farah had developed some fever, throat pain last week. She is better now.

The British PM and Health Secretary are also down with the virus. Nearly 30,000 have died worldwide due to this deadly epidemic.

We maybe in this situation for the next 3 months or so.

Luckily the numbers from India are quite low so far. Modi has declared a 21 day lockdown. As with many of the monumental decisions he has taken, it was announced  in a very abrupt manner without much planning. He made no mention of how the poor will survive in this 21 day lockdown. Most of them have lost their livelihood.

Now another tragedy has presented itself - of the crores of migrant workers who work in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore etc, stranded with no way of getting back to their villages. They waited for 1-2 days, but when no help was forthcoming, they started walking back to their villages, 100-200 or 300 miles away. In most cases they have nothing to eat. This miserable horde trudging back on the sides of highways with their belonging reminded me of the millions who fled the riots during partition to cross over to India or Pakistan. The fact that a country which boasts of the fastest growing economy, aspiring to become a 5 Trillion economy etc  etc cannot do anything, or should I say, would not even think of helping this helpless and miserable horde, is outright criminal & shameful.

The apathy shown by the Modi govt for these poor, miserable people walking hundreds of kms back to their villages smacks of class superiority. It also shows how this whole lockdown thing is in effect a way of trying to protect the rich and middle class at the expense of the poor and lower classes. All the policies are targeted towards the privileged and the underprivileged are left to fend for themselves. The Modi govt is not even making a pretence of trying to help them. Their preference and prejudice is so naked.

They are in effect sending the epidemic to the villages while trying to protect the cities. And this virus was brought into India by the rich who came from foreign countries.

It is not just that the Modi govt is not doing anything to help these people, the privileged BJP supporters are asking why these people are trying to go to their villages flouting the govt directive to stay at home. They are accused of going home for vacation. No concern for the fact that they have lost their livelihood, they are hungry, no support from any quarter, where will they go?

The sense of entitlement of the upper classes in India is so ugly. I think that is the reason they love Modi so much, they see in him the messiah who will restore the 'varna vyavastha'.



 

Ammar's 16th Birthday

Abbu's Eye Operation

Abbu will be undergoing his eye surgery tomorrow, Insha Allah in Ranchi.
I pray to Allah that it is successful and he regains good eyesight.

Aapa has come from Siwan to support them.

India - Dark Clouds in the Horizon

The situation in India is extremely worrisome. I am afraid it appears India is descending into fascism. Things which were unthinkable just a few years back have become normal. The bigotry against Muslims is on the rise and has now got official sanction. The institutions that are supposed to protect democracy are caving in, the Supreme court in particular.

The current BJP Govt seems to have a single point agenda, prosecute,humiliate Muslims. Sadly it keeps winning elections on this plank. The discrimination against Muslims in Courts, by the Police and among politicians is not hidden anymore. In fact that has become the batch of honour,

In the ruling Party, BJP, Muslim bashing, instigating riots and killing of Muslims is the best vehicle for career mobility for any aspiring politician. After all that is how the current Prime Minister & Home Minister zoomed to these top jobs. Now Kapil Mishra, who instigated the recent Delhi riots, can hope to become the next blue eyed boy in the Party. After all he has earned his spurs by having Muslim blood on his hands.

BJP is conspiring to strip the 20 Crore Muslim population of the country of all their rights by bringing the citizenship law (CAA) and by eventually linking it to NRC (National Register of Citizens). These laws are violation of the fundamental rights and are against the constitution of India, but the Supreme Court has been co-opted. The Chief Justice of India Bobde is acting like a true Sanghi and making a mockery of the constitution.

All my family & relatives in India are protesting against these draconian laws but are very worried by these developments at the same time.

It appears now that the Muslims (many of our relatives) who chose Pakistan over India at the time of partition, made the right choice.

The most disappointing aspect is that, there seems to be hardly anyone in places of authority who is standing up against these gross violations of the law of the land.