India: How a Pandemic Fueled Discrimination
Swanica Shah
MUMBAI—These unprecedented times have given true meaning to the phrase ‘It felt like just yesterday”; it did feel like just yesterday when we ridiculed the idea of school shutting down because somewhere in China, a new virus had been discovered. Clearly, we had radically underestimated the power of globalization.
We initially disregarded the news of COVID-19but it managed to prove its dominance. From originally being in the back of our minds, it has slowly edged into every conversation. On March 24, 2020, the day an official lockdown was announced in India, a blanket of timelessness had fallen upon our country. Suddenly, everything felt so surreal, the symbolic Mumbai traffic had gone into hiding, buildings had locked their eternally open gates, and all religions were united, welcoming masks into their cultures.
The situation worsened exponentially, and every day felt more unreal until we were finally able to grasp an understanding of the ‘new normal’. I still remember when I got a notification from a news app, informing me about two potential cases in Mumbai, and only a few weeks later, there were thousands. Our prime minister, Narendra Modi, preached the idea of ‘resolve and restraint’, and chose to implement the lockdown during the earlier stages of the virus, curbing growth by encouraging containment instead of a cure. A strict lockdown was implemented; citizens were only allowed to leave home for necessities, no more than two individuals were allowed to travel together, masks were an absolute necessity, and those that disobeyed the guidelines, would be penalised.
One of the most powerful moments was during the Janta Curfew. On a Sunday at 5PM, everyone gathered in their balconies and terraces, supporting the frontline workers. They clapped, chanted patriotic slogans and banged utensils. The vibrations encouraged a positive mindset as it dissolved the accumulated tension from the atmosphere, creating a sense of togetherness during the time of social-distancing. As I stood alongside my neighbours, I was overwhelmed with positivity. From hope to gratitude, it was in that moment, I felt assured: our unity held more potency than the virus which we would obliterate and, soon, we would return to normalcy.
This sense of unity was juxtaposed by a historic religious divide that had been quietly growing: the Hindu-Muslim divide. During the first stage of lockdown, an Islamic seminary was held in New Delhi, in which a large number of individuals gathered. It immediately triggered a wave of hatred in the form of physical assaults, exclusion, and offensive social media activity as Hindus, the dominating religion, blamed Muslims for the exponential growth of cases. However, to an extent, truth did fuel these actions as it had later been identified that nearly one third of India’s cases could be traced to this event. Numerous fake videos and pictures of Muslims disobeying the lockdown guidelines and promoting irresponsible habits were spread, amplifying the great amounts of stress faced by the majority of the population. Even a small possibility of an individual being tested positive felt life-threatening to those around them. Therefore when the news of the large-scale gathering surfaced, it was perceived as irresponsible. Statistics, stress and previous feuds blurred the ethical line, causing many to act irrationally. I believe it is important to realise that for many, it was easier to blame something than to believe that an invisible virus could result in such a global impact.
It is a complicated time period that we have been enduring. We need to understand that to overcome this plight, we must work together as a team; maintaining physical distance will help us grow closer emotionally. The virus doesn’t discriminate between race or religion: under every cerulean mask prevails a potential victim.