India’s Covid Purgatory
No one in their right minds would have envisioned the large-scale tragedy that has unfolded in India. Some publications and observers have called it “hell” and some have even gone beyond those descriptions. While all those descriptions stand true, one might think and wonder, is this what hell looks like, or is it something else.
Dante’s most famous work “Inferno” from the epic “Divine Comedy” describes the circles of hell. But what we are witnessing in India is not hell, yet. Because once cast into hell, one knows that they are there and maybe eventually accepts their fate. What is happening to this country of 1.3–1.4 billion people is akin to Purgatory. In Hindu culture, it is a belief that every soul will one day be one with God, and until they do, the souls would keep on getting reincarnated. But what of the souls that have been crushed and are being crushed during the second wave of Covid-19 infections from April 2021 onwards. Sure, the official data might point towards a substantial decline in the number of cases. It is an open secret that those numbers are not correct, and probably never have been.
To make sense of what is happening in India, one needs to turn to Dante again and look at the second part of his epic “Divine Comedy”, “ titled “Purgatorio”. The citizens of this country are being made to walk through the “7 Terraces of Purgatory”. While Dante witnessed the opposite virtues to the vices those terraces represented, Indians are experiencing the vices come to life.
Dante’s defined the 7 Terraces of Purgatory as Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, and Lust. Each one of these is blatantly evident in India’s handling of the Covid crisis and has made the people suffer miserably. The suffering began right from the first lockdown in March 2020, which led to the largest human migration in history. From there, this is how the Terraces of Purgatory presented themselves -
- Pride — India was somehow able to keep its covid toll under control in the first wave, despite the large-scale under-reporting and lack of testing. The leaders, both at the center and state levels gloated about what great job they had done in keeping the crisis in control despite the country’s size, population, and lack of resources. At the World Economic Forum in January 2021, it was announced that the country had successfully defeated Covid despite the earlier doomsday predictions. It was a moment of pride for the nation and its leadership. With India being the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, it began the ill-timed process of sending vaccines across the globe as aid, while not procuring enough for its citizens.
- Envy- Indian policymakers, after not procuring enough vaccines for the population, began the shoddy process of vaccination without a nationwide vaccine policy on eligibility, availability, and pricing. It pushed through a vaccine who’s 3rd phase trial data was not even available. Maybe the decision-makers felt left out as the world had begun vaccinating its people.
- Wrath — The second wave of covid hit India like a tsunami and it has still not receded. That is when the administration got angry and decided to take matters into its own hands. It attacked all those platforms that showcased the administration’s failures. The notices sent to various social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are evidence enough.
- Sloth — One thing that the administration has been consistent with during the pandemic is, laziness. It has almost always failed to make proper arrangements on time despite having enough evidence in front of them. The first wave witnessed the loss of livelihood, migration, hunger, etc. The second wave, though predicted by the government’s own scientific panel, has been wreaking havoc on families and homes. Yet, each time the administration was caught sleeping.
- Avarice — The income and wealth inequality in India has shot up drastically in the past one and a half years. The rich have made up for their initial losses and even earned massive profits, while the have-nots are being drained of their last pennies.
- Gluttony — While the majority of the nation suffered and was battered by wave after wave of covid, the privileged section of the society was busy making their dalgona coffees and a plethora of delicacies. That too at a time when hundreds of thousands of people were walking barefoot towards their home in scorching heat, without food and water.
- Lust — It is no secret that tragedies bring out the best and worst in people. The best aspect has been evident in this second wave where people have had to rely on each other while the administration was absent. The worst aspect of human behavior has also been at the display where people have taken advantage of the needy by selling them fake medicines, charging preposterous amounts of money for things such as medicines, ambulances, and even funerals.
Despite all that has unfolded, the administration is still not willing to accept its failures and has been making tall claims that fool no one. It is not clear when Indians will be able to walk out of this purgatory. The issues plaguing the fight are that the vaccines are still not available in required numbers, snail-paced vaccination program, ever-changing vaccine policy, and under-reporting of covid related data, etc. It seems like a battle that the generals are not willing to acknowledge, let alone fight. With the pace at which the vaccines are being administered, it would seem like an eternity before even 50 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. By the government’s own admission, there is going to be the third wave of covid in India. What everyone seems to be missing is the fact that until everyone is vaccinated, India will keep on having waves after waves of covid, big and small, from time to time.
India’s Covid Purgatory has no end in sight despite what the numbers say. So, look out for yourself, as no one else will….
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