What about those whose work couldn't have been replaced by the 0s and 1s? What about the daily wage workers and the house helps who were no longer employed? ...Or the fired cab drivers? The pandemic not only secluded us but also divided us class wise once again! It made the class gap wider and clearer.
ZAHEKA SHARUN
Coronavirus, as it proved to be a threat to life, affecting everyone, everywhere, was declared to be a pandemic in the beginning of this year. A virus so deadly, that targets the immune system of a human being but traps all other systems along with it. As the world patiently waits for a science miracle, a vaccine, the pandemic continues to find its ways to the remotest of lands. With this comes other alarming effects on health, one of which happens to be an increase in mental health disorders in India.
While many lost their jobs because of their workspace being closed or being temporarily suspended, there were the fortunate ones who managed to keep their
livelihood thriving. The worst-hit sectors were transportation, manufacturing units, construction, and tourism along with restaurants/food outlets, local vendors,
house-helps, daily wage workers, etc.
We were months into the pandemic and nobody had a solution. As the cases in India increased by each passing day, the
desperation of people and hunger pangs rose too. The fortunate ones like the IT workers or the business owners who didn't witness it as bad as the lower class
of the society, also felt the pinch due to this pandemic as they lost their secured jobs, businesses, profits and whatnot. While all this happened, the economy was on its way to hit the lowest low.
We were also struggling to keep ourselves socially distant, clinically sane and physically fit and well.
Human beings are called social beings for a good reason, you cut them off from the world and see them losing their mind. Humankind needs human interaction as much as they need their basic amenities like food, water or shelter. But we accepted the challenge of social distancing and took it to our heart to humiliate, if not defeat, this virus. We were ready to take away its only power, its ability to spread, and for that we practised social distancing. We put a halt to our work, we closed down all the public places and suspended gatherings or human interaction. It was almost like a criminal offence to get in close contact with other people. We locked ourselves up in our houses and pledged to make this world functional through indoors.
Gradually, work resumed but from home, education of students began but through online classes. People had to learn new skills like operating virtual platforms and
managing a business online. But what about those whose work couldn't have been replaced by the 0s and 1s? What about the daily wage workers and the house helps who
were no longer employed? ...or the fired cab drivers? Even their families were struggling. In fact, they were struggling more than the rest of us, and their plight was more severe than the
middle and the upper classes. They were also subjected to the social stigma of being more vulnerable to be a carrier of this virus. The pandemic not only secluded us but also divided us class wise once again! It has just widened the class gap.
Due to loss of jobs and livelihood, thousands of migrant labourers marched back home, on foot, as all modes of transportation were shut down. Later on, receiving
nationwide backlash on such blatant ignorance, the Government of India established a special train called Shramik Express for these migrant workers to make sure
that they reach home. Many death cases associated with the migrant labourer crisis were reported, while the Government of India failed to acknowledge this
officially in its House of Parliament. The Ministry of Labour and Employment, through a written statement, said, "No such data is available", as per the reports by
several media outlets. Meanwhile, a private research conducted by public interest technologist Thejesh GN, activist Kanika Sharma and assistant professor of legal practice at Jindal Global School of Law, Aman came up with figures relating to deaths during the lockdown in India as of 4th July 2020. Approximately, 216 of such deaths were caused due to starvation and financial stress, 209 happened on roads or train accidents, 96 died in Shramik Express, while there were 133 reports of suicide. There was a total of 971 deaths which the study highlights, as per their tweet. These deaths were not caused by the virus but were the repercussions of the lockdown.
There was major deterioration of the mental health of larger masses who had little awareness of the new illness that they were encountering. People became
exceedingly anxious at the uncertainty of such times. Many households witnessed physical assaults and abuse; children and students across the country reported
being more stressed because of online education; men and women of all age groups experienced panic attacks and dystrophia; and the ones combating depression
suffered relapse during the lockdown. According to a study titled 'Lockdown of 1.3 billion people in India during Covid-19 pandemic: A survey of its impact on mental health', 55.3 % participants between the age group 35-50 years complained of trouble sleeping during this lockdown period, of which people who feared contracting the disease witnessed a maximum alteration in sleep. 'This could be associated with high levels of anxiety and stress because of isolation, indicating adverse mental health', the study further reported.
Professors and lecturers complained of facing online harassment. They were subjected to memes and humiliation by their own students while they themselves were learning to get a hold of this technologically-built, virtual classrooms. It was difficult for everyone to manage their stress and anxiety levels during the lockdown. Hence, they resorted to art for their rescue. Many tried their hands-on craft, pottery, culinary activities, singing and dancing. This did help them to cope with the social seclusion to some extent. Many found a new hobby, while some fell prey to the binge-watching. It is an activity that releases the neurotransmitter dopamine which is mainly responsible to help people relax and relieve their stress.
Not just the pandemic, every day one thing or the other went wrong, not just in India but around the globe. One of the major influences on one's mental health during this lockdown could be attributed to the increase in the screen time of people-be it work-related, education-related or for merely passing excess time. This has had various repercussions as well, like the decrease in the attention span of an individual, the increase in the information presented online which adds up to the infodemic. The surge of fake news online was another downfall of the virtual world. But the sky isn't all grey and gloomy, for with the negatives came the positives, and the internet proved to be one of the most effective tools in tackling this pandemic. The word about the virus spread out quicker than it would have-its cause and effects, its symptoms and its prevention. People knew right away that social distancing was the key to avoid getting an infection. There was the immediate launch of applications online to track the number of people affected in any geographical area. One such app was Aarogya Setu launched by the Government of India. Because of the internet and various awareness strategies which were employed online, people became more aware of the virus and were more vigilant.
Taking care of one's mental health has become more important now more than ever. The stigma around asking for help should long be forgotten as it hinders the well-being of an individual. Because of social distancing and lockdown, mental health needs to be addressed immediately before it becomes an epidemic.
Since none of us had faced a pandemic before, with the rarest exception like the Ana del Valle, a 106 years old Spain born lady who survived the Spanish Flu, we didn't know how to tackle this outbreak. Not even the combined efforts of nations of the world could come up with a successful strategy to combat this pandemic. As millions suffer, to this day, thousands of lives are lost.
The pandemic has tested us socially, physically, and mentally. It is an unpredictable, one of its kind, whammy virus which successfully managed to cage the humans in their houses and restricted their lives, all around the globe. Everyone ran for a refuge, some went back to their families while some learnt to live alone, isolated. When all else failed, people turned to God, to pray for the ill, for them to be healed. This is one of the worst crisis that we will ever witness, only to learn from it and stand tall against it. No matter what comes, the hope of a better tomorrow would remain unshaken. ∎
