Health is Serious Business: Day 19/21 national lockdown field note.

It’s Easter, and Sunday which means all the vegetable vendors are in swing than usual. The Kirana shops are buzzing. People by now have seen the value of masks or even handkerchiefs around the mouth. More social distancing happening although much more is needed. The gram panchayat folks were preaching on the loudspeaker regarding social distancing at the heart of the market. Such direct communication is vital. Fumigation was taking place as well as shown below.

The seriousness has caught on. That’s the biggest plus. In a conversation with the pharmacist in the urban village, the bald and pot bellied middle aged man, said when i enquired regarding the business during the lockdown,

‘The business is not unusual as we stick to the MRP and do not overcharge like the grocery shop due to supply shortages. People are taking health more seriously, taking the entire course of medicines. As pollution and dust has reduced, there are less patients coming to buy as well. Many have gone back to their native places too.’

I hope post COVID-19, the focus on healthcare, hygiene and research should be the main takeaway post this carnage.

Blessed Easter! Festivals are now a days images ingested from Instagram feeds and digital greetings. Festivals rupture the indefinite nature of extended time during the lockdown, reminding us of what normal used to be, and if we regain that again, how precious would that be. A good plum cake is missed.

We need the resurrection of our lives more than ever.