The present-day world is passing through a very challenging period when a raging pandemic during the past 10 months or so has snuffed out 1.79 million lives and infected close to 82 million the world over. The terrible virus’s effect on human body  and the world will take time to be assessed. Right now, the world is busy fighting this virus, scrambling for a lifesaving vaccine,  and  living in fear of other variants of the virus, which have been found in some countries, notably in UK where a total lock down has been imposed. Nations the world over have restricted into their territory  of travelers from UK for fear that they may bring the new variant of virus supposedly more deadly than COVID-19 and add to their seemingly unsurmountable problems.

So, we thought of asking our wide awake and well-informed readers of their view.

The Question: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the world? What is the future scenario? What do we need to do to combat this Virus, and any other, in future? Your personal experience, if any , will be welcome.

We are grateful to the readers who took time to send us their comment which we are pleased to publish here.

We wish them all a Happy New Year.

Anu Jain

 Our lives before the virus will not be back anytime soon

COVID-19 has cost us a lot, the lives of our near and dear ones, small businesses shut down, yet it has brought attention to many other aspects of life. For example, HYGIENE; many of us had forgotten the importance of washing our hands after using public transport, before eating food, or even as simple as shaking hands with someone. Another example is MENTAL WELLBEING; people are starting to feel more lonely and many may also be suffering from depression. We all have become much more conscious and aware of these simple yet ignored matters. I am sure we will never forget what COVID-19 has taken from us, but I am sure we will also not be able to turn a blind eye to what it has given us. Some of the positive outcomes from this pandemic is self-improvement and building new skills. Reaching out to and rekindling with people we may not have in a very long time. We have also learned to appreciate what we have in our lives currently. Although, we have to maintain a 6 feet distance but we are fighting this battle together.

 In this pandemic, we all have stood together as one big family. I still remember the surge of doctors we had from all over the nation flying into New York, when it was declared an epicenter/hot-zone for COVID-19. During those times, many people, independently and via organizations were empowered to help each other out. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to get involved and coordinate with many organizations to help out via food donations for many frontline heroes across the New York and New Jersey.

Future may be very uncertain with the many new revelations of the virus such as the new variant discovered in UK, recently. Our lives before the virus will not be back anytime soon, as the effects of this pandemic are here to stay. The format of events and gatherings will be changed forever as well. For example, greetings have already started to change from hugging to a more of a ‘Namaste’ approach. The limit of attendees at gatherings have also been implemented strictly.

Prevention is better than cure, and thus that would be the first step in combating the virus. Hand hygiene, maintaining a 6-ft distance, masks, are all some of the many preventative measures that all of us are already taking. Finally, there is also the vaccine for this virus, it is important to take the vaccine once available and continue to stay updated and informed by following the CDC.gov. We must also reach out to our loved ones and keep on adding new memories to our treasure chest.

(Anu Jain is one of the leading Real Estate Salespersons in Long Island, NY)

Ashok Ojha

2020: A Year of Grief

The year 2020 is coming to an end. When I look back months back I see a long spell of darkness, silence, pain, and grief, all of which generated by the horror of Corona also called Covid-19.

I made a short trip to India in early March. Prior to my departure I decided not to take chances and carry a tiny stock of disinfecting sanitizers and masks. I visited local pharmacies and grocery stores to buy it but found none.  These were clear signs that general public were fully aware what was to happen soon. At that time authorities were cautioning against the virus but they were not advising to wear masks until plane loads of   the stuff arrived from China.

The news of Corona infection was slowly crossing the borders of America. As I landed in Delhi I learned that a tourist had celebrated his birthday party in a local five-star hotel, travelled to Jaipur and Jodhpur leaving behind a trail of infections. Hospitals in all these cities were scrambling to deal with cases. It was evident that the virus had attacked India. It was a matter of time when it would travel quickly around the world as no restrictions were enforced at airports except for usual security protocols. Soon international flights were being curtailed.

I decided to fly back to the safety of my home in New Jersey. On my way back I found  passengers and the crew were totally unaware of using sanitizers, forget wearing masks. On arrival in USA I saw no precautions were taken at the airports. No questions were being asked by officials. Everything was being done to welcome the virus. It was horrifying to hear US officials advising the public not to wear masks since PPE materials were in short supply. This was unforgivable. Didn’t we know enough or were just being complacent?

The entry of the virus into the United States was hastened many other ways. United States flew its citizens from a cruise ship anchored in Japan and was found heavily infected. Infected people as well those not infected shared the same aircraft way home from Japan. Horrified I could watch the scenario unfolding-schools opting for remote learning, crowds of US citizens returning home from Europe jostling at Chicago and other airports, elder care centers unsure of how to handle Corona infected patients. I felt I was writing  script of a drama that was unfolding before my eyes. News of infections originating from supermarkets soon found space in newspapers. Few airlines were still flying, as if in defiance.

US is the most advanced nation in the world. Taking precautions  or not taking it became a political matter. How can you dictate an American against his will? And he was against doing childish things like covering his face with mask!

Searching for vaccines was a matter that government needed to take. US had the re-sources. The search hurriedly began. The White House took a stand-downplay the threat!

Meanwhile, in May 2020, a black man called Floyd was suffocated to death by a policeman in Minneapolis. The incident unleashed nationwide protests and street demonstrations. “I can’t breathe…” symbolized the agony of the suppressed and ‘Black Lives Matter’ was the new progressive mantra. Protests and demonstrations, violent or not, turned into vehicles for the virus.

Days and months passed by. News and videos of hospitals overwhelmed by Corona infected patients were a common sight on television screen. Infected elderly citizens who lived in Elder Care Homes around the country were dying in droves. Nurses and doctors looking after patients, hospital workers, grocery store employees, meat packing plant workers, teachers and students-were among the vulnerable groups. In New Jersey, government departments were shut down. Most people were working from home. Courts were meeting virtually.

USA conducted the Presidential elections and American elected Democratic candidates Joe Biden as the next President and Kamala Harris as Vice President. But America was yet to see a smooth transition of power. The year is coming to an end and I find no words to explain the actions of sitting President Trump. He has pardoned his associates who were convicted for serious crimes. Trump sacked numerous officials during his tenure. America just watched in awe. His actions were twisting and turning the US Constitution but none could do anything. I realized the enormous power and legal immunity of the American President firsthand.The year 2020  presented a number of grim realities about America. That everything is not perfect in the USA. We must accept certain things as they are: Protection against dis-crimination, equality and justice are not to be taken for granted. One must not depend upon the government for help, even during the emergencies. US laws and the government can’t  support the poor, the homeless and the unemployed, even during the emergencies. While the US can’t provide food for everyone the system allows the rich getting richer even when majority of people suffer from pandemic.

COVID-19 has posed so many questions for all Americans-our options for survival are limited. The vaccines are not the final solutions. We are part of a system that doesn’t work as it should all the times.

Let us hope for the better in 2021.

(Ashok Ojha is a senior journalist and a passionate promoter of Hindi abroad)

Dr. V.K. Raju

COVID- 19 and New Year Wishes for 2021

A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across the world. Throughout human history there have been a number of pandemics of disease, such as smallpox and tuberculosis, and the most fatal pandemic in recorded history was the black death, also known as the plague. The plague killed over 75 million people in the 14th century. History has the nasty habit of repeating itself. Our longevity in the present century is mainly due to the successes of public health. The most scientific and technological advances have added only 6 to 8 years to our life. Such is the paramount importance of public health, that even in the era of exponential scientific and bioengineering advancements, the impact of basic health protections from the 1900s cannot be underestimated.  Let us recollect Charles Edward Winslow’s quote from 1842, “The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health and efficiency through organized community efforts for the sanitation of the environment, the control of community infections, the education of the individual in principles of personal hygiene… will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health.” Obviously, we missed many of these fundamentals during our present epidemic.

Concern for future pandemics includes antibiotic resistant microorganisms called “super bugs” and may contribute to the reemergence of diseases that were thought to be under control.  A tuberculosis pandemic ???

One of my very religious Indian patients asked me recently, “Dr. Raju, so many people died so sadly, is it their karma?” I said instantaneously “Some others failed their Dharma, and these people suffered their karma”.

(Dr. V.K. Raju is an internally acclaimed Ophthalmologist. He is committed to his vision of a world without childhood blindness. Through the  Eye Foundation of America which he founded almost four decades ago, and  Goutami Eye Institute in Andhra Pradesh, he is working tirelessly to prevent avoidable childhood blindness in rural areas of India and elsewhere in the world)

George Abraham

2020: A year to forget

As I recollect, I was in Kerala in January reading about a virus that was sweeping the City of Wuhan, China. Like in the past, I thought it was one of those hyped-up pandemics like bird-flu, and the epidemiologists would go on an overdrive to herald its impact. When I was working for the United Nations, the Bird-flu scare was so intense; the organization went about putting together a disaster recovery plan that included working remotely and replicating the essential applications and data to Geneva’s offices.  However, the doomsday predictions were proved to be wrong, and there was no significant impact of Bird-flu on the public, especially on the work environment.

But COVID-19 is not like any other virus in recent memory, it is so ruinous to human life and its well-being, and we are still in the battle to survive. Almost every country in the world has experienced its fierce assault on our way of life. It is an incredible thing to watch as this invisible virus drove the most powerful economies to the ground, forced stores and businesses to shut or close permanently, with most of its streets deserted and senior citizens fighting for their lives alone in their respective nursing homes while leaving millions of people in a state of anxiety and fear.

The pandemic once again revealed that life is so fleeting, and a virus can even isolate one from his/her loved ones and familiar surroundings. We have seen instances where bodies were forklifted to freezer trucks directly from the hospitals and buried without any friends or relatives’ presence. It is indeed a humbling moment; with all the technologies and know-how the humans possess today, there is a limit to what can be done.

As 2020 comes to an end, people are still trying to make sense out of what has hit us and how it has transformed the world forever. As the number of people who have lost their lives creeping towards a two million mark, I hope and pray that human ingenuity would once again be unleashed towards finding a solution. It would also be wise to recognize a divine power that holds sway over our lives and how vulnerable are us even to an invisible virus!

Let us hope and pray for a better year, 2021!

(George Abraham, Former Chief Technology Officer, United Nations)

Mike Ghouse

Happy New Year – the year of optimism

We wish you, your family, and your friends the very best in 2021. Each New Year is a milestone in one’s life. Indeed, it is as much a day of reckoning as it is of celebrations. Reckoning involves reflecting on why you did not get what you had wanted in 2020 and celebrating what you got for your effort and how you made it to where you are today.

Let’s go forward; if I were to ask you on 12/31/2021, how was your 2020? Would you respond, “as planned?” Did you plan it? I am pleased to share the easy way to plan your 2021.

First of all, let’s clean our slates:

If you (and I) have said something nasty to your siblings, spouse, parents, children, friends, clients, or customers – make the effort to call them to apologize. You will not believe the relief it brings. Try with one, if it feels good try with another one. If they are nasty to you, turn the other cheek, that is don’t aggravate it further, say thank you to them, and move on. You did your best to clean the slate. Enjoy being a conflict mitigator and goodwill nurturer.

If others have harmed you, hurt you, and have said nasty things to you, make an effort to call them and say, “look with this Covid, over 325,000 people have gone, don’t know who will be next, I just wanted to clean my slate and seek forgiveness and forgive and go in peace if it were my turn.  It is good to free ourselves and live-in peace instead of brooding. Thank you very much.” Please avoid arguments, it will further aggravate the situation.

If none of them are alive, take solid 5 minutes, sit quietly and do it in your heart, the effect will be the same – relief, and freedom from the tension whenever you think about them.

You have everything to gain by cleaning your slate, try it, it is worth it.

Nothing happens by itself; things happen because someone causes them or drives them to happen. Did you let others drive your life, or was it your plan? You cannot go on vacation unless your dream about it, think about it, and plan on it. You cannot buy anything unless you start it with a want. Unlike the planets, stars, and many other things in the universe which are programmed to function precisely, humans were given the free will to chart their course.

God does not do anything; he cannot do good things for you and not for others. Indeed, He has laid everything out for you to pursue your happiness and peace; it is up to you to get it.

Here is a simple way of getting what you want! Plan, plan, and plan. The first thing is to know what you want; you should know where you are driving when you turn the ignition.

Buy a dozen 5×3 Cards or fold three regular blank white papers and cut them into pieces. Write the following item on top of each piece and place them in your pocket or purse; Family, job, health, income, vacation, home, retirement, self-improvement, a new image, spirituality, and volunteerism.

 As you start driving, making coffee, watching TV, or whatever you are doing, take one piece at a time, start thinking about that item, pull the car over, or go to a coffee shop, and sit down and write your thoughts in bullets on each piece of paper.  I am sure you have a few ideas about your family, job, and the other items, whatever comes to your mind, write it down.

One evening you can sit down for a few hours and put it all together. It would become your guideline and your plan for 2021. The more you stare at it, the more it becomes a part of you. Please do it for fun; you will be amazed at what it will do for you.

Spiritual freedom is indeed the greatest achievement in one’s life and it permanently clings to you till eternity. Those of us, who can free ourselves from tension, pain, anxiety, apprehension, hostility, malice, pressure, tension, stress, strain, and conflicts, are showered with blessings of peace and joy. It is good to be free, “indeed blessed are the peacemakers (Jesus).”

( Dr. Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, author, community consultant, pluralist, activist, newsmaker, and an interfaith wedding officiant. Mike is deeply committed to Free speech, Human Rights, and Pluralism in Religion, Politics, Societies, and the workplace.)

 

Gobind Bathija 

A turning point for world economy and humanitarian issues

The pandemic Corona virus has been the turning point for  world economy and humanitarian issues; it has changed our prospects towards life. It made us learn how to live without ultra luxury items in our life.

It also thought us the opportunity to go back to the basic understanding of family togetherness.

Now that the vaccine fever is in, it might give us some kind of relief and we may go back to normal; it may never be the same.

It was the biggest shock since world war II. Closing of the borders led us to stay home and realize the value of travel freedom.

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has had significant psychological and social effects on the communities

(Gobind Bathija is a businessman and community leader)

Tirlok Malik

I have been distressed  to see suffering of people

How Covid-19 affected the world , we all know but the lessons we learnt  are individual takes.

My personal experience of losing some friends and the sadness I felt for their

family will forever be etched in my memory. I have seen people suffer endlessly.

The other personal experience has been  the ugly part of world

politics in the face  of a deadly virus in the world that shook my faith in the basic goodness of politicians.

However, one would like to forget Covid 19 and 2020 as a bad dream.

(Tirlok Malik is an Emmy nominated  film maker, actor, director of many well-known films in English and Punjabi languages. He is a promoter of Ayurveda and Yoga)

 

Prakash Waghmare

Needed a Volunteering ‘youth corps’

As of now, Covid-19 pandemic has brought the life as we knew it to a screeching halt. There is going to be ‘New World Order’ because of it. It has made us ‘isolationist’ on every level. It has taught us that we need not be physically in close proximity with each other to sustain ourselves or to sustain all the chores of life. Technology and Science are going to rule our world as never before, eliminating some of the functional responsibilities. Millions have lost their jobs and 1 in 5 are facing food crisis in USA. This will also require retraining ourselves to face this new world order. For the first time in probably decades the employers in every sector had the breathing time in Yr. 2020 to evaluate how much manpower they truly need, especially when Robotics & Artificial Intelligence is aggressively advancing towards them. In addition to safety precautions, it is very essential that at least 75% population gets vaccinated for any country to be safe from a pandemic. As there are almost 40% people against it, we need to create some enticement for the vaccine at government level as well as at private-sector level (certification connected to discounts, etc.). Like ‘common ‘Flu’, this corona virus is likely to be with us for years to come, so we need more research and permanent solution to eliminate it completely as we had done previously with ‘Polio’ or ‘Smallpox’. President Kennedy had floated ‘Peace Corps’ of youths to go out in the world to assist everyday folks. As America is aging, Biden-Harris team should create similar volunteering ‘youth corps’ for domestic issue – let it be any pandemic, hunger or caretaking of old folks etc.

( Prakash Waghmare is a social activist and a prolific writer) 

 

Indu Jaiswal

Year 2020 is also known as Life Changing Year. Since March COVID 19 Pandemic changed our lives and lifestyles. We are following strict infection Control Rules and regulations so that COVID 19 Virus spread can be contained. . During this Pandemic , we have lost members of our family and friends.

There has been an enormous  loss of  human lives. The  Pandemic paused progress of people, changed working environments, forced people to cancel celebrations, vacations, Holiday gatherings and Community oriented functions. Weddings and functions on ZOOM started making  a change. Everyone started working from Home and even schools online became challenging for students, teachers and parents.. As a Health Care professional we are going to work  to the line of duty and taking care of our patients.   As we approach the end  of the year we are greeted with a cheering news  on COVID 19 Vaccine , which is giving hope to all so that in the coming year 2021, we will be able to fight this invisible Virus. As Mahatma Gandhi said “The Future Depends upon what steps you take today. Strength does not come from Winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships, and decide not to surrender, that is strength”..

We will continue to be strong and goal oriented, Welcome 2021 of  Health, Peace and Joy. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Executive Members of IAF, I wish you a Very Happy Holiday Season and aHappy New Year 2021

(Indu Jaiswal RDN is a community and social activist, and currently chair of IAF)