‘Doobte ko tinke ka sahaara’ is a popular Hindi saying that holds true in present times. Social media stories, SOS calls and tweets for help stand on the same line as this saying. Today, citizens are playing on the front foot, while governments are on the back foot. Well, that’s not by choice, but this is the only possible solution to save our loved ones, howsoever primitive it may sound.
India didn’t appear so united to me before this. I think it is a New India that we are seeing today. Sadly, we have lost so many Indians to realise that we can be this united too. Covid took them away or politics did or greed did, but let’s put it — Covid is the main culprit here. April 2021 turned out to be even more disastrous than the whole 2020 put together. I don’t have facts to back this opinion, but it’s our everyday reality that presses me to believe this way. In 2020, we were still seeing the uprising of the news on farm laws to digress Covid headlines. Right now, all of our anger, grief and energy is scripted towards why this had to happen.
Such questions are pouring like tsunami on social media. And so are the answers, debates and a military of the ruling party’s bhakts marching to celebrate the Supreme Leader even as India collapses to the virus. But there is a segment of the Bhakt crowd that has itself been on the receiving end of the virus. It appears to be numb, failed by their Messiah when they see their family members becoming another number on the Aarogya Setu mobile app. Would they still sing songs for the Bearded Man who was excited to see the biggest crowd in his Bengal rallies even when the virus was taking over the rest of the country by a storm?
“Hypocricy ki bhi koi seema hoti hai, bhai,” said a saint once who couldn’t himself live up to his statement months later. Indian PM Narendra Modi is the living example of another Hindi saying: “Andho me kaana Raaja.” As his umpteen supporters are blind, even his lack of foresight makes him a hero. The visionless PM is still celebrated by his supporters because even in their clueless minds, the PM can never be wrong. He uses religion to brainwash people. To him, votes are more important than the lives of voters.
His recent action and statement stand testimony of the same. So, which is the bigger virus? Lol. The ‘Indian virus’ has already emerged for countries including Britain and Canada as they put a ban on Indian flights and travellers for now. Years ago, the US had also banned a saint, but destiny saw him getting invitation to travel to the same country as he became a Supreme Leader. On the other hand, in a matter of few months, the Chinese virus has a new makeover. It has travelled far and wide and decided to settle in India for the finale round because the Indian PM was giving it tough competition.
Now, as Twitter is removing tweets that hold Modi accountable for the fiasco, it feels difficult to write against him. This is the same PM who said that criticism is the soul of a democracy. He just realised now that he wasn’t talking about India, because India isn’t a democracy anymore. A US-based organisation called India a ‘partly-free‘ country while a Swedish institute called India an ‘Electoral autocracy’ (Bengal, vote do…). I am just referring to those accusations. Now, the government must deal with them before they come to me. I’m playing safe here.
Another facet of this collapse is the sympathy the country has received. Pakistan — whom the Godi media abused openly and showed as a threat in every Prime Time news programme — sent prayers and offered to help fight the Covid tsunami in India by sending 50 ambulances and support staff. This is from a Pakistani NGO named Edhi Foundation.
Now, would our Prime-Time shows run by Godi-Media Anchors highlight the Twitter trends #PakistanStandsWithIndia? Everyone knows the answer. It simply doesn’t go with their narrative-based shows, and they don’t get paid for spreading harmony and peace. National security is important for every country, but the act of brainwashing in the name of security must be stopped by the media. Else, the fourth pillar of democracy would also be called out soon by international organisations and that would be a collective shame for the entire country.