22/03/2020
My Thoughts on n-CoVid-19 – Nature strikes back…
Sunday 22nd March 2020
©Manish Thatte
[email protected]
Being a student of Shree Saraswati (Knowledge), I am tempted here to speculate and pen my thoughts…
Today is as announced by The Honourable PM Shree Narendra Modi. I was just surfing the internet… No work today, I usually work at-least for half the day, even on Sundays.
But today, absolutely nothing to do. The women of the house are preparing dosa + sambar… And here I am, being given an opportunity to contemplate over the state of the World… ;)
First things first:
Let’s Stay indoors for the next few days.
Secondly, The enormity of this situation particularly strikes me. It is so simple for this virus to spread, that it is almost impossible to be sure, that somebody is really safe from coming into contact with this virus. So, in all probability, we already have or will come in contact with this virus shortly.
There are two possibilities, about this so called novel corona-virus.
First possibility is, this is a bio-weapon, which was developed by China, and somehow it got leaked or maybe got out of their control, and is now spreading across the world. This maybe just a conspiracy theory. But we need to be aware of the possibility. If, this is the case, then China will already have a vaccine developed, which it will be supplying to the world in a short while. Our natural immunity won’t be of too much use if this is a man-made creation. The pandemic will get controlled eventually and China will be richer by a few trillion dollars ;).
The other possibility is that this virus is a naturally occurring microbe, probably, unleashed due to global warming OR maybe, somebody in China consumed some sort of meat, which somehow infected him or her, and is now wreaking havoc all across the world. In this scenario, the forces of evolution and natural selection will take their own course and humanity will somehow survive this pandemic.
But I doubt, whether “staying indoors” will be of any real use, staying indoors will just delay what is inevitable. We need to understand here, that getting exposed to the virus, getting infected and building the inherent immunity of our body is going to help us here.
The problem is of the people who have compromised immunity. The infirm, The Diabetics, the elderly, the children… We need to somehow ensure that they are safe and do not contract this virus. So, in a way, social distancing and isolation will work, at-least in the short term. At-least, till some vaccine or some palliative treatment is developed, it will buy us time.
In any case, the world as we know it, has changed. Now, nothing is going to be like the old days… No more crowding, compulsory quarantines, limited travelling… There is going to be a paradigm shift in the way we live, play and carry out our work and businesses. And I dare not put a ball-park figure to the death toll, if this outbreak goes out of hand. Mother Nature seems to have given us a warning during the past Ebola outbreak. We somehow contained the outbreak, and a major tragedy was avoided.
I fear to say, but from now on, it’s going to be “Before 2020” AND “After 2020” on this planet… Those who survive, will live to tell this tale. All others… hard luck.
The Economy:
Me, being a student of Shree Laxmi (Money) too, am tempted here to speculate and pen my thoughts about the changes in way we carry out our businesses…
1) Business is going to become more and more contactless.
2) The internet (Read Online Retailers and Entertainers) is going to become even more pervasive, in our daily lives.
3) This is going to deal a real body blow to The Retail industry and The Travel industry.
4) The Hygiene and Care sector is going to flourish.
5) Thinning of the population in the crowded Metros will increase our chances to tide over this situational crisis. This is a sort of the silver lining. This will encourage governments to develop much needed infrastructure (Roads, Electrification and communications) in rural and mofussil areas.
Suggestions and constructive criticisms are much welcome.
©Manish Thatte
