I felt that within twenty four hours, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi would withdraw the clamp of lock down to prove success of the Sunday night exercise. A young man I know closely said he would not do it and thus prove that the superstitious formulae do not work. In other words, his belief was NaMo was more practical and modern individual to fall for the tantric beliefs.

Many erudite individuals like a senior media person justified the call for holding ancient lamps in hand in open space on the night of April 5 as an attempt to unite entire India. Even they overlooked that entire nation had responded in unison to his call for clapping or thali beating at five in the previous week in appreciation for persons in hazardous undertaking, the medical, the security and other essential services even at risk to their lives. Entire nation responded without allowing class, caste, creed or religion standing in the way to keep them away.

He did not claim that the exercise of the Sunday night had successfully driven away the pandemic virus by withdrawing the lockdown directive a week earlier. His action raises the question why did he adopt and under what or whose pressure to prove superiority of the Indian creed of beliefs.

The forwarded message twenty four hours before had predicted the announcement by the Prime Minister for the exercise. It is obvious that he had no escape from the course of action and he seized the opportunity to disprove that such superstition gimmicks work in the modern era. He proved his point.

The assembled medical data of victims who tested positive including those who met the end of their life journey indicates that 73 per cent patients were in old age bracket like in most countries. Many of dead were also suffering from other kind of serious diseases. Surprisingly more men were victims than number of women affected by the pest. Does it mean virus did not affect women or their biological structures were more resilient? Several such questions do come up but definite answers would need to wait for extensive research in medical science. But it does prove that it was not a divine curse of drowning the humanity like it was said in the ancient religious scripture of flooding the earth.

The pandemic virus became a boon as well a curse for different classes of populations in developed as well as in underdeveloped countries. Most countries followed the similar pattern of Lockdown to minimize public contacts as contacts between humans in short distances appeared to be the main source and cause of spreading infection. The lockdown ended for long duration most economic activities as well as transportation. It halted large scale of emission of polluting substances to clear environment as never before in memories since humans learnt the science of measuring level of pollution.

The Modi fan club even claimed that for the first time in decades, the contour of the Himalayan range was visible even at the distance of 300 kms. They had even passed on pictures to prove their claim. In most countries roads were empty instead of large numbers of vehicles plying on them. The Indian authorities claimed higher dangerous level of polluting emissions following the incidence of bursting of crackers. Nevertheless, the Lock down became a relief for the middle class families. Children had benefit of presence of their both parents as never before in the era of the innovated communication sector that provided mobile phone facilities. In the last decade and a half, elders in the family were rarely seen without their phones at the family dining tables.

But the lockdown brought misfortune for all those who depended for their daily meals on their daily earnings. With supply lines snapped, they did not know how to survive three week, particularly the problem was the concern for their children at home since schools were closed so the benefit of free mid-day meals at the school was denied to them. Many did not believe that they would have access to the free food promised by the government for three months for daily earners. Their pathetic decision was to walk to their villages hundreds of miles away with children trudging along on feet without provision of surplus food for their journey. No one explained that their resolve was pathetic as distribution of free food packets in widely spread out villages would be even more difficult, not only due to distances but also due to their inability to prove they were destitute.

In India 60 per cent population depends on daily earnings but in developed nations, the proportion may be less. They have system of unemployment doles to mitigate difficulties of daily food.

One can go on to enlist difficulties of different classes though common to all societies was of breeding mistrust. Persons who understood human psyche avoided to go to even their close relations or friends or members of their usual circles to avoid embarrassment to others in opening their doors, not out of fear that they may contaminate but fear of their clothing carrying the contaminating germs due to their travel. They had to maintain their contacts through social media.

Such rift and drift was not seen in last one century. No one had expected such time and occasion to arrive. No one expected that the situation would entail situation to force the Prime Minister to fight on two fronts, one fight with modern and fast spreading disease of not Indian origins and on other front the conservative minds that remain untouched by the march of modern science that made several old concepts and beliefs irrelevant. Diya burning with ghee made from milk of a black cow cannot drive away modern infections. This is proved by the diya ceremony on terraces.