I write this article while scouring the Indian and international media, as I do several times a day, hoping that the most recent iteration ...
I write this article while scouring the Indian and international media, as I do several times a day, hoping that the most recent iteration of the news will be less grim than the last one. Like many immigrants of Indian origin who live overseas, I am deeply alarmed for the well being of family members, friends, and Indian society, as a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic devastates the country and its healthcare system teeters on the brink of collapse.
The current situation is a complete reversal from barely a few weeks ago, when the anomaly of the Indian experience was being celebrated at home and lauded abroad. Not only had India managed to contain the virus, we were told, but armed with an effective vaccine rollout plan and ample supplies we would soon be helping much of the developing world tame the Covid-19 monster.
Hindsight is 20/20, and there is no triumph in pointing any of this out. But the Indian miracle had seemed a little too good to be true. Anecdotes from friends and acquaintances, shared as early as mid-2020, about high rates of Covid-19 infection in hospitals among patients checked in for any ailment, cavalier attitudes toward wearing masks, and suspiciously...
