NEED FOR A NEW POLITICAL PARTY

Congress is falling apart bit by bit and with the exit of talented leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindhia the dam has just cracked open and many more will follow. But is it not an irony that a person who was so effectively critical of the BJP in parliament will now put on the saffron jersey and bat for it? For the BJP it can always say that it was able to convince him that the ideology he was following for the last 19 years was wrong, but for Scindhia himself what does it say? That it took 19 years for him to get it right! That does not make him look very smart, does it?

This sad story is not that of Congress alone but of almost all opposition parties, without distinction. Even a few BJP allies are infected by this virus - Pawan Verma is out of JDU! Shiromani Akali Dal too witnessed a division when Khadoor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmanpura along with former MP Rattan Singh Ajnala and former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan floated a new organisation called themselves Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali). Now let us look at the opposition parties other than Congress - SP is in fractions, two obvious and a few not so obvious; RJD has had quite a few deserting them, and so has TMC, NCP, BSP, BJD, AAP and PDP. So there is a sense of disenchantment and disillusionment in all opposition political parties as well as in a few of the ruling alliance. Why do you think it is so? What the press would like you to believe is BJP is engineering defections. Even if I believe this vested logic my question remains why is it succeeding in doing so?

I am of the opinion that all these political parties who cobble up to form an ineffective and inefficient opposition have stagnated and are being run like tribal jageers of fiefdoms by their leaders. There is no inner party democracy, no elections for the post of the leader and the leadership is being passed on in the ruling family to the next generation. Thus Mulayam passed on the taj to Akhilesh, Lalu to Tejaswi, Sharad Pawar to Ajit, Uddhav to Aditya, Maya and Mamta are grooming their nephews and even SAD looks like Badal & Sons Pvt. Ltd. These parties, as it is, never talked about representing the entire nation; they represented their caste, their creed, their state, their region and so had limited appeal, which was just enough to bring them to power by intelligent coalition. Now what has actually happened is that even their limited audience has realized that they actually represent a select few of them, like only the Yadavs in case of SP and RJD, or worse, only their family! There was a time when SP had only 5 MPs in parliament and all were from Mulayam's family! So actually there has been a gradual Congressization of the opposition. The virus of Dynasty has infected all of them and the ambitious and talented in these parties are feeling suffocated.

In this scenario, when there is no scope of progress of talented people in these parties they are bound to look out for greener pastures. When Scindhia knows that he can never become the Congress President. He may be talented, he may be blue blood but he is not a Gandhi, so what does he do?

Now this is where I pose my question? If you desert one of these parties do you have to join the BJP? Is this not opportunism on the part of both the deserters and the BJP? You were in the opposition because you had an ideological difference with the BJP. Now what has happened? Has the BJP changed its ideology? Apparently not; so it is you who is changing your ideology. And you are a leader, so now you will have to tell your followers why you are doing so. Are you doing it?

If instead of joining BJP en-mass these leaders coordinate among themselves and form their own left of centre alignment, distinctly separate from the right of centre BJP they can offer a viable pan India alternative to the BJP. They can then join hands with young leaders like Jagan Mohan Reddy and experienced and uncontroversial leaders like Naveen Patnaik and KCR and offer a vibrant opposition to the BJP. Just as it is essential for the country to have a decisive and majority government, it is also absolutely necessary to have a robust opposition. Just as an indecisive coalition government like UPA II is plagued with policy paralysis, an ineffective opposition like the present one leaves a hyper-active government in a state of policy epilepsy. By making an already strong BJP further strong these leaders are missing the golden opportunity of starting a genuine liberal outfit, untainted by pseudo-liberalism and pseudo-secularism. They need not be in a state of habitual opposition like the Congress but they can offer an alternative point of view when it matters most.

The balance of power in the parliament needs to be maintained and as recent events in both the houses have shown the anaemic opposition is trying to shout down the government, disrupt the proceeding and create ruckus because they neither have a better plan nor can they offer an alternate point of view. The era of appeasement politics and religion or caste based politics is hopefully behind us and repeated elections have shown that the governments have to deliver if they hope to be voted back to power. Congress is in the dumps and its history of dynasty, corruption and inefficiency will keep it there. Now it is time for the emergence of a new opposition party.

As per the statistics of the Election Commission of India we today have a total of 2599 parties with 8 national parties, 53 state parties and 2538 unrecognized parties. The new political outfit will have to align with the spirit of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, because this is the only credible slogan of progress and cannot be disputed. Their idea of how to achieve these ideals may be different but these ideals cannot be challenged. I have the sketch of one such party in my mind:

1.      They have to hold the government accountable for the state of the economy and the dismal state of employment

2.      They have to target the Education sector and ask tough questions about the state of our primary education, middle school education and higher education and is education improving employability. They should push for education reforms and be involved with the New Education Policy. They should force the government to spend more of education.

3.      They have to seek answers for the falling production figures; what are we doing wrong? Why are we losing out to smaller countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh?

4.      They should keep the government on its toes for the shameful Maternal Mortality and Infant Mortality rates. They should compel the government to spend more on health

5.      They should be vocal against corruption not only in the government but also in the opposition. The policy of selective name calling of the corrupt according to their own political comfort should be avoided at all cost.

6.      They should refrain from the policy of competitive victimization of various sections of the society along the lines of caste, creed, religion, region, ethnicity and language and ever time represent the entire country and not any particular section or influential group. This unholy trend of representing a select group has led to the rise of political parties with agendas catering to one or a mix of these groups. Parties in India also target people who are not in favour of other parties and use them as an asset or votebanks.

7.      They should spell out their stand on labour law reforms and land reforms as these are holding back our progress.

8.      They should have a clear understanding of and unambiguous stand on globalization vs. protectionism, public holding vs. pragmatic privatization capitalism vs. socialism and help in course correction of the government whenever necessary

9.      They should be champions of internal security and have a pragmatic view on refugees, humane and untainted by religion or race. They should steadfastly stand against all political parties instigating unrest, violence, chaos and riots whether they are in opposition or in government.

10.  They should have unambiguous stand on National and International issues which can enhance the image of our country even if it means supporting the government line from time to time. Their voice against terrorism, both external and internal, should not be opportunist but always loud and clear. They should be able to call a spade a spade every time.  

11.  They should be fiercely critical of the government in the parliament and out of it but once a law has been enacted by the parliament despite their opposition they should respect the parliament’s verdict and the people’s mandate.

12.  They should exhibit profound sagacity and exemplary discipline in parliament. They should come prepared and enrich the parliamentary debates and never create nuisance in the well of the house with slogans and placards.

13.  They should refrain from entertaining criminals in their party and not hesitate to throw out the corrupt and the tainted.

For our democracy to succeed every government requires a constructive opposition. With the Congress and most of the opposition parties infected incurably by the dynasty virus exodus of talent from within them is unavoidable. But I do not think all of them need to come out only to join the BJP. This is not serving the purpose of our democracy. We need a new party to oppose the ruling party which is not saddled with the Congress history of corruption and inefficiency. The last time a crusader against corruption tried doing so he became a habitual antagonist and a megalomaniac. It is time saner senses join hands and give the country a credible opposition party.  

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF MAHANAGAR

My childhood friends

We came to Mahanagar in Lucknow in 1959 and though I was very young then and we were among the first to opt for our own home in this locality, which seemed miles away from civilization. 

I distinctly remember that the while richshaw walas and tanga walas would bring us home from Charbagh  and Hazratgunj before sunset, but in the evenings they simply refused to go beyond the Nishatgunj railway crossing. We had a long 3 cell Everready torch which my father used to carry and we had to walk back home from the railway crossing. I must hasten to add that most of the time I was riding on his back. Stray dogs were there even then, but there were stray foxes too and we could hear them howling at night. 

The bandha was not there and Kukrail would flood every monsoon and I remember two big floods when boats moved around in the streets of Mahanagar distributing milk powder, bread and biscuits. The bandha came up after the second flood. I remember the PAC guys stacking up sandbags to stop the overflowing Kukrail.

Flooded streets of CID Colony

Our flooded home

Streets of Mahanagar were lined with Gulmohar and Amaltash trees. The red dazzle of the former and the golden shower of the latter were simply mesmerizing. Much later I came to know that Amaltash is the national flower of Thailand but they still line many streets of Mahanagar. People had time to tend to their gardens and almost every house had very well maintained lawns and flowering plants. Even the people residing as tenants in Secretariat Colony had open spaces all around an quite a few enterprising ones would grow wheat, paddy and corn cobs there.

The banks of Kukrail were used as a cremation ground and the stink of burning flesh could be smelt even from our home as we live very close to the bandha near PAC. I remember my father and his friends in the colony taking this issue up with the municipal authorities, but this nuisance stayed with us for quite some time.

Another piece of history that comes to mind is the PAC mutiny. It was very frightening for kids like us and very unfortunate. This place was otherwise our favourite as we sneaked in to see films in the evenings in their basketball courts. We also saw many national athletes and hockey players in PAC grounds.

We had big open parks where we would spend our evenings playing cricket, gulli danda and marbles. I learned flying kite from a neighborhood Mahesh bhaisaab who was polio stricken and moved around with the help of crutches but was a wizard when it came to flying kites. Alas, these parks are either encroached like the one behind Mount Carmel, or are used for marriage ceremonies like the one in CID colony. Children do not have time to play anymore!

I did my early schooling, till Class 2, in Mount Carmel and then was admitted in Colvin, where I spent a decade. Till Class V my father took me to the school on his bicycle and I would return on a shared rickshaw. From Class VI I was allowed to go all by myself on my own bicycle. Even Faizabad Road had very little traffic and cycling was safe then. 

Cycling to school with friends was fun. A senior student showed me how a 2 naya paisa coin could be turned into a 10 naya paisa coin by putting it on the railway line and let the train run over it! My parents were  miles away from the Gandhian principles of non-violence and this action of currency change was duly rewarded. There were tamarind trees on either side of Faizabad Road and we would stop under them and throw stones at them. Jangal jalebi was another favorite of ours as were wild berries and all these grew in shrubs everywhere in Mahanagar. 

Much before we had a proper cricket bat we had fatta cricket, using a piece of wood extracted from broken chairs and a tennis ball. Holi, Diwali, Dushehra, Eid and Christmas were all spent together in the colony. Janamashtami was celebrated in PAC where they decorated beautiful jhankis. Republic day and Independence Day was celebrated in PAC too and we had some colony sports - mostly races as a part of these celebrations. My parents took active part in celebrating Durga Puja in Badshahnagar and Kali Puja in Mahanagar and we actively took part in cultural programmes and other arrangements.

Our elders during Kali Puja

Life was difficult for our parents with few amenities of luxury - no cooking gas, no phone, no refrigerator, no air conditioner  and no washing machine but their substitutes were interesting and labour intensive, to say the least. The angithi or earthen oven would be set afire in every household first thing in the morning. A surahi or clay pitcher would be filled with fresh water and kept out to cool the drinking water and we had to go all the way to the post office to make a phone call. The khas ki tatti had to be drenched with water to cool our homes when the summer loo lashed mercilessly. Memories of sleeping under the starry sky with only a mosquito net on crossed bamboo stands protecting us from the omnipresent pests are still etched in my memories.

Our parents had a large social circle and once or twice a year we had picnics. Birthdays and marriage anniversaries were occasions to get together and enjoy! We surely had a great childhood in Mahanagar.

Picnic with our parents

WHY AMERICA NEVER CHOOSES A WOMAN PRESIDENT?

Civilization took birth in India, Egypt, China and then spread to the west. The Americas were discovered only other day by Christopher Columbus and are hence called the new world. The ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the teaching institutions of Takshila and Nalanda, the art in the caves of Ajanta, the sculptures and the architectural wizardry of the Kailasa temple in Ellora and the Sphinx of Egypt, the relics of Han civilization in China all stand testimony to the rich history and civilization of the East. Varanasi remains the most ancient living city and Hinduism the most ancient religion. When you compare this heritage to what the West and the new world has to offer you know how incomparable they are. We, the descendants of this civilization may not have lived up to it of late, and fallen back on developmental milestones that matter today but civilization once acquired cannot be lost. It is passed on from one generation to the next and its essence is never lost and lasts forever.

Both in Hindu and in Greek mythology there have been countless Goddesses who have been worshiped. Right from historical times women have enjoyed a pride position in our societies and have been unhesitatingly accepted as leaders in all spheres of life. Whether it was Rani Laxmibai or Rani Padmini or Rani Chennamma or Razia Sultana or Begum Hazrat Mahal, we, both men and women, had unquestionably accepted them as leaders and they never disappointed by their bravery and courage. Similarly Cleopatra VII ruled ancient Egypt as co-regent (first with her father, then with her two younger brothers and finally with her son) for almost three decades. She was part of a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy and an undisputed leader.

In recent times we have had great women leaders like Indira Gandhi in India, Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, Sirimavo Bandernayeke and Chandrika Kumaratunga in Sri Lanka, Khalida Zia and Shekh Hasina in Bangladesh, Soong Ching-ling in China, Corazon Aquino in Philippines, Golda Maira in Israel and Tsai Ing Wen in Taiwan who made a mark in public life and served their countrymen with distinction.

Europe though had the once mighty British Empire ruled ceremonially by Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth but took a very long time to accept a woman political leader in Margaret Thatcher and later in the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Once again they ruled almost unchallenged and with great distinction to steer their economy out of the woods. Julia Gillard was a very efficient leader of Australia and now off course we have Jackinda Ardern in New Zealand, Sanna Marin in Finland and at least in ten other nations in the world today. So women undoubtedly can be very efficient, able and caring when they are at the helm and democracies have repeatedly chosen them to lead. Even the Inca and Moche civilization in South America again had many examples of female warriors and high priestesses who ruled their land in the past and so Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina have had female Presidents.

So now with this background I pose my question - why is the United States of America not prepared to choose a woman President? Whether you liked her or not, you cannot deny that Hillary Clinton was immensely qualified. So was the Massachusetts senator and former Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren, who threw in her towel in favour of Joe Biden recently.  An excellent orator, with a brilliant track record as a Senator, why did she fail to make the mark? Why do you think this blatant practice of sexism is celebrated in America?

This is where civilization comes in. It is a new world they do not have a history of trusting women with leadership roles. They gave voting rights to women only the other day! Women's suffrage in the United States of America, the legal right of women to vote, was established over the course of more than half a century, first in various states and localities, sometimes on a limited basis, and then nationally in 1920. The demand for women's suffrage began to gather strength in the 1840s, but the country chose to ignore and suppress it till 1920.

There have been many famous women in all spheres in America – science, art, medicine, culture, films, media, sports, military and space but before Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton they have no history of political leadership of some stature by women and when even they fail to break he glass ceiling Americans will still continue to ignore 50% of their precious human resource while choosing their President.  And we still call it a developed country!

Regardless of their social and political status and their individual culture's values, women everywhere have led active lives. They have worked to bear and raise children; to produce food and contribute to the household and social economy; to participate in the decision making of their society; and to be major practitioners of spiritual rites. The contributions of women to ancient civilizations continue to have an impact on women's lives today.

The United States of America which supports other countries to protect human rights, build international relations, avoid gender discrimination and achieve economic development. Surprisingly, a country where more than 50 percent of population is woman has never elected a female president. This issue constantly draws attention because from the first presidential elections in 1789 to present, Americans have always distrusted woman candidate.

The history of Native Americans demonstrates a huge division between the roles of males and females. Even after the foundation of the US Constitution, legal gender discrimination took place. For example, founder women were excluded from the list of Founding Fathers. Founding Fathers, the use of masculine pronouns ‘he’ and ‘his’ in the US Constitution, extension of the deadline of ERA’s ratification and pregnancy discrimination, which still remains impeding factor for American women. Then again men are more interested in politics than women and this is fundamental reason of women’s under-representation in politics, but this is a world wide phenomenan. Male candidates routinely out-poll and routinely raise more funds to run their campaigns than women do

This risk-averseness is compounded by mainstream American media, which reflects the internalized misogyny of the public. Not only does cable news pay an disproportionate amount of attention to the white, male candidates, ensuring they stay high in the polls but print and digital media reporters too are equally guilty. In a recent study found, tend to describe them more positively. The Northeastern University School of Journalism analyzed 200 articles, focusing on the five most-read news websites according to Amazon's Alexa: The Washington Post, The New York Times, HuffPo, CNN, and Fox News. Researchers looked at the percentage of positive words used to describe 2020 presidential candidates. The candidates by media sentiment from highest to lowest, were: Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Cory Booker, Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. The pattern here is unmistakable. Sen. Bernie Sanders even went on to say “Anybody knows me knows that it’s incomprehensible that I would think that a woman cannot be president of the United States.”

So, America will not have a woman President in near future because this is a civilization thing.

REDUCE PRIVATE CARS ON ROADS

Once upon a time, when automobiles were invented, the developed nations had plenty of them in all shapes and sizes and only a few elite in the developing world could afford them. From James Bond to Batman every rich and famous was known by the car he rode. There was public transport of rudimentary nature for those who could only aspire to possess a car then. Today the scales have turned and the developed world is relying more on public transport and the roads in the developing world are choked with cars guzzling gas and polluting the cities with their noxious fumes.

The developing world

Ask anyone in India and they will tell you that a private vehicle – a two wheeler or a car is a necessity and no more a luxury because the public transport system is both tardy and unreliable. The growth of vehicles has been much faster than that of the population. The number of registered vehicles increased from 55 million in 2001 to 142 million by 2011, 195.6 million in 2016 and 253 million in 2017. In the last decade registered vehicles per million population has increased by 219% while urban road infrastructure per million only increased by 124%.

This rapid motorization has led to severe congestion, longer journeys and higher per capita trips. Indian roads are also popular for heterogeneity of vehicles sharing the same road space. There are around 32 different vehicle types in India such as bicycles, cycle-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws (‘tuk-tuk’), motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks. No wonder the average speed of a vehicle on Indian roads is just 17-19km/h between 9:00 and 21:00, with the slowest times witnessed during the evening hours.

As per the 2011 census, 31.2% of India’s population (377 million) is living in urban areas. As the UN estimates, these numbers will grow to 40% (590 million) by 2030 and 58% (875 million) by 2050. While only 30% of the total population live in urban areas, approximately 63% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is contributed by those urban areas.

Even with the current size of the urban population, Indian cities are facing a multitude of issues such as severe congestion; deteriorating air quality; increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector; increasing road accidents; and an exploding growth in the number of private vehicles (largely motorcycles). With the urban population projected to more than double in the next generation, the situation could easily get out of control and thwart India’s economic development efforts unless remedial measures are soon taken.

The federal government of India has launched two flagship programmes – 100 Smart Cities and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation, and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for 500 cities that have a population of 100,000 or more. Smart cities cannot be built without smart public transport. Under the smart cities programme, the cities are required to build efficient urban mobility and public transportation by creating walkable localities, as well as promoting a variety of transport options. However, there is no clear guideline for developing a sustainable public transportation system.

The developed world

Luxembourg has become the first country in the world with a free public transport system, with all fares for trams, trains and buses abolished as of February 29 2020. The one exception is first-class train travel, which will cost £2.60 (€3) per journey. This is particularly good news for tourists, transport will be free to all visitors to the country as well as Luxembourg's 614,000 residents – making a holiday in the verdant country a little more cost-effective. 

Around 200,000 people – around half of Luxembourg's workforce – commute into the country each day for work from neighbouring Germany, France and Belgium, usually by car. The country's population growth is also among the highest in Europe at three per cent a year, further adding to concerns about congestion. In addition to waiving fares, it is also hoped that improved bike lanes, overhauled bus routes, and expanded tram lines and railways.

Now why do you think they are doing this and incurring a substantial revenue loss? The sole intention is to help change commuter attitudes to public transport and thereby reduce carbon emissions and prevent global warming.  Luxembourg is not the only place in the world with free public transport. Many countries have tried this in their own selected cities to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emission.

Tallinn, Estonia

In 2013, Tallinn became the first capital in the EU to provide free public transport to its citizens, after a referendum was held and 75 per cent of residents voted in favour. To make use of the system, all people had to do was register as a resident of the city, and pay €2 for a "green card". Alas, tourists are not included in this, neither are residents from wider Estonia. Nevertheless, the scheme has been so successful the Estonian government is planning to roll it out across the rest of the country.

Australia

Adelaide in South Australia runs a number of free bus and tram services within the CBD (Central Business District). Brisbane's free City Loop and Spring Hill Loop bus services run frequently within its CBD, and to nearby Spring Hill. Brisbane's river ferries are also free on a CityHopper scheme.

Melbourne, Australia's trendiest city, is naturally also on board with its Free Tram Zone, taking residents and tourists to the iconic Queen Victoria Market, across to Victoria Harbour in Docklands, up to Spring Street and over to Flinders Street Station and Federation Square completely gratis.

Ghent, Belgium

In 2017, Ghent announced its inner city would become a low emissions zone, with only registered vehicles that met strict conditions allowed in. The city centre is also now car-free. As part of this ambitious move, the 'Walking Bus' was introduced: a free electric bus in the city centre. Visitors can recognise it by its eye-catching blue colour.

Incredibly, Ghent's plan cost just £3.4m to implement – in comparison, it costs an estimated £20m-£30m to build a single mile of motorway. The city also has significantly cleaner air, with nitrogen oxide levels dropping by 20 per cent since 2017.

USA

The United States has a number of free public transport options, but the most notable are in Salt Lake City, Kansas City and Olympia (Washington). In 2019, Salt Lake City declared its public transport free for two days a week – Fare Free Thursdays and Fridays. Meanwhile, Kansas City in Missouri and Olympia in Washington state have both said their buses will become fare-free this year.

England

There is a corner of England that is fare-free: West Yorkshire. The Free Town Bus (or Free City Bus) operates in several cities and towns in the area, namely Wakefield, Huddersfield and Dewsbury. All originally started as trials but proved so popular they're still running. 

A number of other cities have been mulling over making public transport free in an attempt to tackle air pollution. Germany announced it would be doing a trial of free public transport across five cities, with a view to rolling it out across the country if successful, in 2018, while a recent proposal in Washington DC could see residents not have to pay for metro rides. 

These improvements in the quality of life come at a cost, and the cost has to be picked up by the tax payer. Taxes in these nations are high but so are the earnings. So long as developing countries do not become more productive and do not succeed in widening their base of direct taxes these privileges of quality living will remain a distant dream.

Alternative approaches

1. Some countries like Singapore are resorting to a ‘tap on the knuckle’ approach. They charge an exorbitant amount for vehicle registration, road tax, certification of road-worthiness, vehicle insurance and parking within city limits. If one end up spending more on parking than on public transport, one is more liable to patronize the latter.
2. Encourage behavioural change at key life stages such as moving house, having children, moving job, moving to a new city or even a new country. Any of these transitions are likely to lead to changes in travel behaviour, and cities could tap into this opportunity by more actively encouraging the use of sustainable transport modes.
3. Education to enable people to become part of the solution to create cleaner cities and improved transport networks by choosing to travel using active, shared and public transport modes. They have to realize that “this is partly my fault”.
4. Ensuring that the total cost of private vs. public transport is transparent and with good public transport links, car ownership should be seen as a luxury rather than a requirement.
5. Improving digital accessibility to public transport services - With so many different apps allowing people to access all these alternative travel options, there is a huge future business opportunity to bring all available transport services in a city together in one digital location.
6. Adapting to changing lifestyles and technologies – thus car pooling and sharing taxi services are lifestyle changes we need to acquire.
7. Introducing payment based on road usage – road tax can be charged by miles travelled. This could be further altered to change behaviour by either rewarding positive behaviour or increasing charges for negative behaviour, for example road users with single occupancy vehicles could be charged more than multiple-occupancy vehicles, or vehicles that use clean energy could be charged less than petrol and diesel vehicles.

But there is another issue with developing nations where a private car is seen not just as a mode of transportation but as a statement of the privileged class. There is still a tendency to announce one’s arrival in an elite class with an automobile that matches the same distinction. And so long as cars remain a fashion statement of the lucky few we cannot hope that their numbers are going to come down in near future. They will only get bigger and wackier but hopefully safer and more fuel efficient.

STOP CORONA VIRUS - WASH YOUR HANDS REPEATEDLY AND CORRECTLY

Corona virus has infected over 90,000 individuals in over 70 countries and caused over 3,100 deaths. It has arrived in India and it is our time to protect our countrymen. Besides evacuating them from China and other high risk countries and checking for the disease in the new arrivals in airports and seaports and sending all suspects to a 2 week quarantine there is a lot we need to do now. We’re still not testing people coming from busy and popular transit hubs like Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Riyadh and people can catch disease from these hubs while in transit as people from high risk countries too travel through these hubs.  The two most vital currencies that we now require are correct information and sincere efforts. And the government alone will not be able to do this.

China did a lot of smart things to contain the disease but only after the unsmart blunder of attempting to keep the outbreak under wraps. The disease could have been better contained and many more lives could have been saved otherwise. We need effective communication between the government and the citizens in order to build trust and avoid rumours and panic. Those exposed to the virus should follow the rules of home quarantine responsibly and not throw birthday parties or attend wedding receptions.

What can we, as responsible citizens do? The first is protecting us and our family. Acquiring knowledge of how to do so and then sharing with all who come in our contact - physically and electronically is vital. So a few important points of advice are

1. Wash your hands repeatedly and correctly 
2. Keep your hands away from face, nose and eyes
3. No hugging, keep a distance of 1 meter from others
4. No handshakes and kisses, only Namashkar
5. While everyone need not wear a mask, those who are coughing must.
6. Cough and sneeze in your elbow and not in your hands.
7. Dispose your tissues and napkins responsibly
8. Avoid touching door knobs, banister, taps, handles in buses, trains and metros
9. Tell all this to your family, friends, colleagues, students, coworkers, domestic help, driver, washerwoman, cook.

Of all these points the most important is the first one, hand washing and I will share with you a World Health Organization directive about this. The WHO believes that proper hand-washing is one of the best ways of preventing a disease that spreads through the air. In fact, by washing your hands correctly and frequently, you’re able to significantly cut down the risk of spreading both respiratory infections and gastrointestinal diseases.

When to wash hands?

The WHO recommends washing your hands with soap and running water as frequently as you can, and especially after you come in contact with patients suffering from infectious diseases, using public transportation and spending long periods of time in public spaces, as well as after using the bathroom. Other times when it is necessary to wash your hands are:

• Before and after cooking, especially when handling raw food
• After changing baby diapers
• Before eating
• After working in the garden or handling trash
• After playing with animals, touching animal feed or animal waste
• After using a handkerchief
• Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet

Soap and water is best

It is important to wash your hands with running water and soap and minimize the times when you're using hand sanitizer, as the latter cannot clean the hands well enough and protect you from infectious disease, and it has a few other drawbacks, too. However, if you don't have access to running water, hand sanitizer is a good temporary way to clean your hands, at least partially. Antibacterial soap doesn't offer any additional benefits compared to regular soap.

How long do you need to wash each time?

Washing your hands properly takes about as long as singing the complete song "Happy Birthday to you" twice.

Step by step guide to proper hand washing

Follow these five steps every time.

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

The following diagram is provided by WHO as a guideline for proper hand washing

The role of hand sanitizer

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. You can tell if the sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the product label. Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations. However,

• Sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs.
• Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
• Hand sanitizers might not remove harmful chemicals from hands like pesticides and heavy metals.

How to use hand sanitizer

1. Apply the gel product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).
2. Rub your hands together.
3. Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. This should take around 20 seconds.

Caution! Swallowing alcohol-based hand sanitizers can cause alcohol poisoning if more than a couple of mouthfuls are swallowed. Keep it out of reach of young children and supervise their use.

We know that the virus causes infection through respiratory droplets from an infected person. So, quarantining a sick person is not enough if precautions are not taken to decontaminate surfaces that the patient came in contact with, and on which coronaviruses can survive for several days. The best and the easiest way to protect the virus from spreading is to be aware of its mode of spread, avoid bodily contacts, avoid large gatherings and busy closed places and wash our hands as frequently as possible