And for a Friday after the double mutated Chinese origin Virus stormed India from remote hinterland village in Jhumri Thalaya to the Penthouse in Malabar Hill, some thoughts….. some musings…..
My former colleague Sridhar in Chennai, his smiling face as he joyously participated in Bilalumini (BASF Retirees) meet just a fortnight ago, invited me to visit his new apartment they were about to shift. Alas, no more. Ramakrishnan, my son’s opposite door neighbour – every day we would exchange pleasantries, being a local Bangalorean, always updated me on the latest local news – suddenly last week, sadly, fell prey to the ravaging virus. From statistics to known people, friends and colleagues, everyone of us has been impacted. It’s no longer numbers there and then, it’s here and now. May God be with the bereaved families thru these tough times.
India is rising up to the challenge in its own “last hour crisis” management way. Medical oxygen now ramped up to 9000 MT per day from 700 MT. Oxygen from Hapa and Mundra in Western India, Rourkela and Tatanagar in Eastern India moved to Kerala, Tamilnadu, Punjab, Delhi etc. by Oxygen Express trains thru specially planned high priority Green Corridors. Thousand plus Kms travel with only technical stoppages of less than one minute for crew changes. Till mid May 175 such Express trains criss-crossed the country. Entire Vaccine manufacture, Imports, Distribution and logistics is undergoing massive expansion from currently 70 mn doses per month to 160 mn in July and 250 mn by October. With India’s corporate sector and NGOs being now involved, a sea change in customer servicing and real help to the poor and marginalised will take place.
Only with unquestioned cooperation, working with and for each other, can we overcome this crisis. Let’s all resolve to double mask, avoid crowds and keep distance, the safe way, the empathy way, the SEEGOS way.