Saturday, 17 April 2021 | Paritosh Kimothi
THE OTHER SIDE
Maintaining the trend of nurturing our proclivities, we are once again facing a situation worsened by our own weakness. We are looking for gaps and people to blame for this mess after spending months building the grounds for the very problem that is threatening our lives, livelihoods and more. This time, it’s a fresh surge of Covid-19 but for the keen observer, the pandemic is technically just one in a series of problems that our follies have exacerbated.
Problems which are fuelled by attitudinal factors should not be scrutinised as isolated instances if one is really serious about finding solutions to varied problems that keep on cropping up. From corruption to the general disdain for sensible regulations, most problems could be attributed to the factors which may be blamed for the current state of affairs when it comes to the pandemic. When it comes to corruption, suffice it to say that if one person- be he the most impressive politician in recent years according to many- attempts to change the system that has been afflicted by corruption for decades, the result will be negligible especially if the people do not want to get rid of corruption. When it comes to the general lack of respect for the laws that benefit society and individuals, there is a long list of such practices which have been abetted by an unhealthy attitude. In the recent past, before the latest Covid surge and elections elicited attention, there was talk of noise pollution- more specifically- prayers being broadcast on the loudspeaker disturbing people early in the morning. A senior academician complained about it and the authorities took necessary action. The use of loudspeakers in ways proscribed by the law is not limited to followers of a particular religion. It is frequently also done in the name of entertainment and social functions. The Allahabad high court had observed that the use of loudspeakers affects the fundamental rights of citizens under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. “No one has got the right to make other persons captive listeners. One cannot disturb others’ basic human rights and fundamental rights,” the court had observed. There is no dearth of court observations, laws and directions which prohibit the manner in which loudspeakers are used daily in most places. What is our response to this? While some people like and indulge in such insensitive violation of the regulations, many of those who dislike it do not even make the effort to phone the police. The same attitude is in action when it comes to regular violations related to traffic rules, garbage disposal, construction, destruction of the environment and various other activities. In effect, we have been getting habituated for years to treating regulations with disdain and behaving in a very conceited manner.
Coming to the recent surge in Covid-19 cases across the nation, various factors are being blamed from government failure and skewed priorities of politicians to carelessness of the public in general. If the government made up of elected public representatives doesn’t do the needful, aren’t the people supposed to question it and get the needful done? In states where elections were held or are in progress, politicians of various parties addressed mammoth gatherings where Covid protocols appeared to be sad jokes. Many are rightly questioning the politicians for such irresponsible behaviour. However, at the same time, one wonders whether anyone had forced the public to attend such gatherings. We seem to be happy not actually comprehending that politicians are likely to exploit the ignorance and foolishness of the public. A few words of praise, some impressive dialogues and promises coupled with some work will make us forget much worse.
The fact is that the factors which have brought the nation and its people to this point of the pandemic have been continuing for decades. People used to celebrating while flouting rules for many years are highly unlikely to suddenly start observing Covid appropriate behaviour even if the repercussions of not doing so are life threatening. Successive governments have evidently failed to do the needful. What matters now is whether we will continue to suffer the consequences of our skewed attitudes or actually start making the necessary changes. This is vital because the future holds bigger challenges than the current pandemic.
