Wednesday, August 12, 2009

SWINE FLU

Only the pig must be happy. Rest everybody in India is stressed with the term ‘Swine Flu’. Swine otherwise is an abuse and it is really coming up as an abuse to every Indian. Mr. Azad, the Health Minister in Manmohan Singh Govt. must not have expected his ministry to be the stressed out the Ministry in first 100 days of the Govt. when there are whole lots of issues to deal within India.

Day before yesterday and Yesterday were the most stressed days when the death toll has been increasing by every hour and the number of infected has swelled to hundreds. Now everybody fears it may run into 1000s. A chemist, a Mumbai housewife, Pune school going boy and above all doctor contracted the disease and died while looking after the patients, such cases are harrowing.
No matter who dies an old man or the kid. It’s not a big deal to die in a country with 1050 million people living on a small piece of land in earth. But then it exposes the vagaries of the System and their inability to tackle a situation which has the capacity to develop into an Epidemic. It has held the entire country into a hostage. Its not few terrorists who have captured few people and the moment you kill those terrorists everybody is safe. Sneezing and coughing have become a crime in a country like India. Our freedom is not lost but again held hostage by a Swine (Flu). We are not in America, where everything is done according to the Law.

Only the pharmaceutical companies are the individuals which are happy but then they are also not able to keep up with the supplies that are required. Personally I have myself become sick of it. Everybody in office is talking about it. There are so many forwarded mails on Swine Flu, SMS jokes, etc. etc. Everybody has covered his/her face with masks, dupatta, handkerchief, hands, tissue papers, bare hands. The whole idea of our inability to fight a disease is so sickening.

We are planning to launch 3G services to empower Indians with the small piece of gadget in their hands. People like Nandan Nilekani have been appointed for UID (Unique Identification Development Project) to give a unique identity to every Indian. On the other side, Indians are losing their identity to the dreaded disease, from which we have failed to contain ourselves.

The loss to the business and the economy of India cannot be ascertained. Schools have been closed for a week to keep children who are not able to understand the gravity of the situation because of their kind little gentle souls of innocence. We have lost all the innocence, Mr. Azad’s remarks tell you the story.

Now cinema halls, all the malls, commercial complexes have been shut. People are advised not to congregate in numbers. I live in Mumbai and please somebody tell me where in Mumbai is the place/space for isolation. The whole Mumbai is choked with people. The auspicious festival of Janmashthtami with the tradition of Govinda aala re will not be celebrated with the usual euphoric and cheerful mood.

Don’t expect Mr. Azad to do anything?

He failed in his Home State (Jammu & Kashmir) to do anything. What can you expect out of him as the Health Minister of India?

His predecessor Dr. Ambumani Ramadoss channelized all his energies against tobacco companies and smokers. Only one motive that useless doctor had on his mind rather than improving the health system in India.

Why is it that India as a country always wakes up after the thief mopes the place? Why can’t we equip ourselves beforehand to prepare and fight such a menace? Do we lack a reason or conviction?

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