#LockdownTales #ChineseCoronaVirus
Today is day 65 of the lockdown in India and as the new normal is about to start changing yet again, am making the second set of notes to remember these days in the future. I had compiled a similar list on May 5th – New Normal Memories #1.
- Chinese surprised with India’s infrastructure around the LAC.
- China forced to look for diplomatic solution to the standoff as India refuses to back down. Not the India of 1962 anymore !
- Farouq Abdullah’s daughter wishes the Chinese take over the Union Territory of Kashmir and bring 4G.
- Schools and colleges continue to remain closed since mid March and some classes have been resumed online. UGC guidelines state that classes will resume in colleges from Aug 1 and new admissions will start from Sept 1.
- The number of Corona deaths crosses 100,000 in the US LLL.
- An old couple tested positive in our block of flats ! They are doing fine, and the entire condominium complex has been sanitized.
- Railways has run 2,600 Shramik Special trains in the last 23 days carrying around 36 lakh stranded migrants.
- Uttar Pradesh uses 900+ Shramik trains and returning migrants get special welcome … cash to tide over for a few days and ration for a month handed out as soon as they alight from the train.
- Cyclone Amphan lashes West Bengal and Odisha a week back. Jehadidi (no) Mamata’s mishandling of the Covid19 pandemic out in the open and the poor state of the health infrastructure in the state leaves people fuming. Doctors go on a strike to protest against the state govt forcing them to suppress the number of deaths due to the Corona Virus.
- Government of India announces a 20 lakh Crore stimulus-cum-relief package. That’s Rs. 20,000,000,000,000/-.
- Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, ISKCON, Sewa Bharti, Gurudwaras and several other NGOs distribute millions of food packets and augment the government efforts. Hunger won’t kill any Indian during the pandemic.
- CONgress’ “barsati maindak” Priyanka Vadra promises 1000 buses to ferry migrants but several of those “buses” turn out to be autos, two wheelers, unregistered vehicles.
- CONgress’ forever-young-dodo Rahul Gandhi appears on TV looking haggard and suddenly old, and promptly washes his hands off Maharashtra. With several ministerial berths in the “thug” bandhan government, he said, they merely support the Maha govt. Great comic timing as always!!
- Maharashtra’s lameduck CM’s incompetence causes an explosion of Corona cases. Of the 158,000 cases in India today, 56,948 cases are from Maharashtra. Of the 4531 deaths, 1897 are in Maharashtra. Shivaji Maharaj has been forgotten and Uddhav Thackeray has secured a position in Hell for sure.
- India can now produce 3 lakh world class PPE kits everyday. We become the second largest producers of the PPE kit in the world.
- India was importing the Corona test swabs from China at Rs. 17, but now produces world class test swabs at Rs. 2. We can produce a hundred thousand swabs a day !
- The TTK road in Chennai is written as “TT Krishnama” Road because Krishnamachari is a Hindu Brahmin’s name. Greenways road gets renamed as “Paul Dinakaran” road – the richest pastor in India. Make your own “sickular” conclusions.
- Taliban that was till recently a terrorist organization, now considered a legitimate “political” entity to run Afghanistan. US pulls out giving the reins of this troubled country to Taliban.
- A “Jain” is forced to shut his restaurant for stating only Jains work there while soon water too shall be “halal” certified.
- We now have “zoom” fatigue due to an overdose of video calls.
- Facebook invests in Jio. Google may invest in Vodafone Idea.
- China using this opportunity to buy into distressed companies worldwide.
- The great Prime Minister of India gives the war slogan “Vocal For Local” amidst the Corona war.
- Dr. Harsh Vardhan, takes charge as Chairman of the WHO executive board.
- Aarogya Setu app is downloaded and used by 116.6 million Indians. It is the most downloaded health app in the world !!!
- India develops Robots to check patients and offer telemedicine in hospitals.
- India develops inexpensive portable ventilators that can be use in rural areas.
- Nearly every Indian seems to have a mobile phone.
- Drones used to monitor social distancing and to check temperature of people.
- The “poor” farmer Sharad Pawar urges the government to save the sugar industry so that he can continue to remain poor. His daughter declared assets worth Rs. 143 crores during the 2019 elections.
- Nature continues to blossom.
- The day is actually quiet and birds chirp throughout the day….
- President Trump says Corona a very bad “gift” from China.
- Locust swarms attack crops in Rajasthan, Jaipur in particular badly impacted. Last heard news is the Locust swarms are moving towards Delhi.
- Tablighi Jamaat’s chief Maulana Saad still not arrested. Hopefully now that he has celebrated Eid he gets to spend some time in jail.
- Credit card bills continue to be small, surprising many urban rich Indians.
- Domestic air travel restarts but several states have compulsory quarantine on arrival … so many people decide not to travel.
- China passes controversial Hong Kong security law.
- Mercury soars to 50 degrees Celsius, its unbearably hot, but no impact on the corona virus !
- Indian Railways – Annapoorna trains. During the first half of April 2020, more than 3.2 million tonnes of foodgrain had been loaded compared to 1.29 million tonnes in the corresponding period a year ago.
Please feel free to add other happenings to this list…. Still being upbeat and hopeful that the world will persevere and mankind will find a way to beat back the Chinese virus.
#StayHome #StaySafe