Day 5: March 26, 2020

I slept well today. Hours passed like minutes and I woke up just in time for lunch. Today, I was determined to take everything in my stride and avoid the usual stressing out over my routine. While initially, my blogs would be written at the end of the day, every passing day pushed the job a couple of hours ahead, until finally, I have come down to writing them on the next day.

After lunch, I sat down to complete yesterday’s blog. It did not take too long, considering all I needed to do at that point was put into words the epiphany I’d had the night before and when my ideas are clear, this is not a task at all. It felt really good to unwind for a change and realise just how seriously I had been taking things until then.

For dinner today, I had planned to call back yet another source of comfort that Mumbai had offered me. To be fair, Dal Khichdi is an all-weather food. It’s Pongal down south, but only by name. Whatever you chose to call it and however you chose to prepare it, it’s a complete meal on a plate. Savoury with just the right amount of spice and packed with protein and other nutrients, there isn’t an occasion where Dal Khichdi won’t find a place on your menu. This is why it was a sustained choice whenever I decided to have vegetarian at restaurants in Mumbai. I abused the luxury of using three varieties of dal to make sure to make sure it turned out as expected and we ended up with more than plenty for the four of us.

Meanwhile, the Finance Minister finally announced an economic relief package worth Rs. 1.7 lakh crore, aimed primarily at senior citizens, daily wage workers, and medical personnel. Key measures include much-needed insurance coverage for medical personnel, cash transfer and free cereal and gas supply up to three months for about 800 million people, and an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1000 for the disabled, widows, and senior citizens. While the focus on food security is worth appreciating, Below Poverty Line families are being issued Rs. 500 per account, which may not last them a week, let alone a month. It forces you to wonder if this government thinks that aside from the basic ration of food, this abysmal amount is sufficient for any family to depend on for a month.

It is easy for us to bank on savings and hoarded supplies, but for millions who have lived hand-to-mouth all their lives, even a Jan Dhan Account wasn’t enough to encourage savings. The class and income divide has only been growing in India, with no signs of any positive development. These are the people who may not come within the tax bracket, but without whom, the rest of the economy would struggle. At times like these it is up to the government to recognize the symbiotic nature of our economy and more importantly, take a humane stand that sees these millions as people, not as mere numbers on a sheet. It is all well and good for the government to keep us in lockdown for as long as necessary, but in doing so, they must also acknowledge the consequences of these actions and move responsibly to support the people most severely affected under the circumstances. The lockdown is going to be long and more hurdles will come up soon. One can only hope more work is going on behind the scenes to expand initiatives like we can see in Kerala, where the State Government has been doing an excellent job supporting the people in spite of being one of the worst hit states so far.