Opinion | The virus crisis is pushing us into a ‘new abnormal’
4 min read . Updated: 16 Jun 2020, 01:42 AM ISTThe lava of discontent is erupting in various ways in India and all over the world
Last Friday, when Gulabo Sitabo, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushman Khurrana, was released on Amazon Prime, it was welcomed as an unprecedented event and projected as an example of the ‘new normal’. The post-covid era has begun to change everything; on the other hand, it has shaken the faith, will and intention of the people.
The virus crisis has started to change society. Let me give an example. In early May, a woman with a child was crying loudly on the main road of Sector 18 in Noida. Her husband, a factory worker, had lost his job due to the lockdown. There had been no food in the house for several days. After walking for a few miles, she somehow managed to reach one of her relatives, who gave her ₹5,000. While she was returning, a pair on a two-wheeler snatched her money. There was no one to listen to her screams.
This is not the only case where a morsel of food has been snatched from a hungry mouth. During the past two months, more than half-a-dozen such snatchers have been caught, people who don’t have a criminal history. Till the end of March, they were in some small-time jobs, but when the lockdown snatched their jobs, they could not find any other way to satisfy their hunger. Now, they are in police custody, but will they be able to return to their old lives?
This is happening not only in NCR; there are many such stories from the rest of the country. When we talk about the ‘new normal’, the script of a ‘new abnormal’ is also being written.
So, why did I start this column by citing Gulabo Sitabo? The cine industry feeds millions of mouths directly and indirectly. This trend of directly releasing a movie on a digital platform may throw many of them out of jobs. Mumbai suffered this tragedy in the 1980s. In 1982, when trade union leader Datta Samant began his famous textile mill workers’ strike, it resulted in the closing of mills. This time around, newspapers have been full of news about prostitution being on the rise in the city of glamour. These were the hard-working women from families of labourers whom distress has forced to compromise with their self-respect. The film industry is not limited to Mumbai, it contributes to the economy of the entire country. Any change can disturb the equilibrium, and we are witnessing change all around. This may prove costly for lower- and middle-income groups.
This catastrophe is taking shape not only in India, but all over the world. The lava of discontent is erupting in various ways. The series of protests in the US after the brutal killing of George Floyd by the police is not going to come to a standstill soon. On 31 May, the situation deteriorated to a point where President Donald Trump was forced to take shelter in the White House bunker. Such violence, hatred and social cracks have not been seen in this dreamland for decades. And now, it’s not limited to the US; such protests have reached Europe also.
At such a time, criminals and anarchists have come out to take advantage of the situation. News channels showed live videos of arson and looting in major US cities. They came, broke the windows and doors of shopping arcades and began to loot; the police were nowhere. The IMF predicted in mid-April that this pandemic may lead to anarchy. Its experts were of the view that many African countries are drifting from bad to worse. But they could not even imagine that such things may happen in the US also.
Covid-19 brought America on par with Africa. Two decades ago, when I first time visited South Africa, I was warned that in Johannesburg and Durban, anyone can be mugged on the streets. At that time, Johannesburg was considered the most dangerous city in Africa; now it is ranked fourth.
Now, let us talk about Chicago. The last day of May in this metropolis was bloody. Eighteen people were murdered in just 24 hours, which is a record for the past six years. Prior to that, more than 50 people were shot there, and seven were murdered over 48 hours. The intelligentsia of Europe is worried that the same situation may happen on their continent. The economy of Europe was already in the doldrums, and now covid-19 has hurt it badly at a time financial institutions are predicting that we are going to enter a period of unprecedented slowdown.
Whatever may be the truth, one thing is sure—we are approaching the ‘new abnormal’. In this case, the entire world is on an almost equal plane. It’s not possible to imagine what shape it will take. How can people descending downhill think of heights?
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. His Twitter handle is @shekarkahin
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