Sumit Maluja. Its a shame to see what is happening around us in these horrid times of pandemic. A pandemic that is killing humans with insufferable disease and at the same time it seems it is infecting the people and killing their humanity at a much faster rate.
All of us specially those who are trying to offer whatever help they can constantly hear one thing apart of course from shortage of hospital beds is the shortage of oxygen cylinders, shortage of essential medicines and equipment like oximeters and oxygen concentrators. Somewhere within that noise of shortage you also get to see and know how all of it is available for those who can afford to satisfy the blood sucking greed of some from within the society.
Yes our society they are not aliens, they are not of different cast, religion, colour or region. They are above all of it for you to have a chance to point your finger in one direction and escape the guilt in favour of conveniently putting the blame on ‘others’. In that race to be the greediest of them all hospitals are not far behind the ICU beds are available if you can afford to pay 3 times the price per day, otherwise your life is no more that of a stray animal left on street to die and nobody to care apart from wailing family members.
Till How long, how loud and how far are we going to blame the system, this hospital, that hospital, this manufacturer, that distributor, this political party, that political party, the state govt, the centre govt for all this. Do we as a society even have any moral ground left to blame anyone when we know these black marketers, these bunch of blots on society are one among us. And each one of us is responsible for this mess by either becoming one of them at the first given opportunity leaving behind all morals and values that we demand of others, or simply by not confronting those indulging in such pathetic behaviour.
It is said tough times show the character of a man and it also shows the character of a society. When any & every medicine goes out of stock overnight because it might have a chance to be beneficial to those suffering tells us something about ourselves and our social consciousness.
In the history of great nations, one hears many stories of great sacrifice, discipline and honesty and that is what makes them great also the history of nations which are doomed to suffer is also filled with history of uncivil behaviour, lack of social values and selfish behaviour in similar tough times. Our country is going through one of these tests of times and this period will decide where we stand and where we are headed.
It is also a time when administration can’t simply escape its part, it can’t afford to be soft to those who are being nothing less than evil by hoarding and black-marketing the essentials. A tough message followed by tough action is the need of the hour to weed out the very thought of indulging in such pathetic behaviour which is definitely not worthy of a civil society.
Also time as a society to look towards examples of scores of people & organisations who are putting in their best efforts and risking their all to help others, becoming a ray of hope in these gloomy times. Its time we join them, strengthen them and empower them, because they are the real beacon of hope and civility and they define what needs to come out of these pandemic times It is also time that sane among us start a fight to win against the black marketers around us and within us
