Critically analyse the “civilizational challenges” of COVID-19 in India
Suyash Goenka
Indian Civilisations
Summer Semester 2020
Professor Gopalkrishna Gandhi
TF Tannishtha Bhattacharjee
The novel coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the entire world and its impact continues
to be massive and deadly. It has left the entire human civilisation in a situation of crisis.
Coronavirus has made us aware of the impact of the non-human presence in our daily lives.1
It is eventually changing the way of modern life with people adapting to ‘new normals’. The
Indian civilisation in particular, has gone through various stages of advancements and social
and cultural developments over time. Through this paper, I will illustrate how COVID-19 has
deeply impacted some of the socio-cultural aspects of Indian civilization.
The Constitution of India envisages social justice as the arch to ensure life to be meaningful
with human dignity. It denotes the equal treatment of all citizens without any social
distinction based on caste, colour, race, religion, sex and so on. It also propagates the
improvement in the conditions of the backward classes and women.2 Throughout history,
India has been trying to protect the backward classes who form the majority of the working
class in urban areas i.e., migrant workers. India is highly dependent on migrant workers as
they play a crucial role in India’s economic growth and are responsible for 10% of India’s
Ghosh, Amitav. “2.” In The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable, 9. Penguin Books,
2016.
2
“PART III - FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS.” In THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA, 7
1
GDP.3 However, the emergence of this virus has taken a toll on social justice, particularly on
the working class (rural and migrant workers). The lockdown imposed by the Indian
government had nothing to offer but only destroy their lives overnight which they had
resiliently built for themselves over the years. With the entire economy shutting down, the
manufacturing and the service sector has come to a stand-still. This has stopped their source
of income and left the workers jobless.
Not having any social or economic security to fall back on, has created several problems for
India. Firstly, it has increased the income inequality since the poor are becoming poorer due
to the lack of salaries and forced resignations. Secondly, the lockdown has facilitated the
transformation of work into the virtual world. COVID-19 has increased the dependence on
modern technology which requires highly specialized and skilled human resource, who are
likely to become the “Brahmans” of the post-COVID world. Thus, tremendous lay-off of
unskilled labours can be foreseen as they will only be considered as liabilities in the future. 4
This will escalate the tensions between different strata of the society and make it difficult to
protect social justice which the Indian civilization has been trying to achieve since centuries.
It is challenging the feat of Dr BR Ambedkar, the “Father of the Indian Constitution” who
was the pioneer of the movement for social justice and made great efforts to uplift the socioeconomic status of the depressed classes.
The government announced a nationwide lockdown on 25 March 2020 and within a few days
announced that all migrant workers had to go back to their villages. This contradiction in
policy shows the lack of preparedness to deal with the migrant workers. The people who have
contributed to establishing and strengthening Indian democracy are being neglected from the
very same society. Only a small number of buses and trains charging exorbitant prices were
made available for these workers to go back to their villages. Thus, the workers were
Deshingkar, Priya. “Why India's Migrants Deserve a Better Deal.” Livemint, May 18, 2020.
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/why-india-s-migrants-deserve-a-better-deal-11589818749274.html.
4
Satyarthi, Kailash. “Resetting Civilisation in Post-Covid-19 World.” The Indian Express, June 4, 2020.
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/covid-19-india-migrants-civilisation-kailash-satyarthi6442523/.
3
exploited at the hands of the employers (who belong to the relatively middle-upper class
section of the society). Moreover, the overcrowding of the buses only made them more
vulnerable to the virus, increasing the risk of the exponential growth of positive cases in the
villages. This highlights the fact that the government and the businesses don’t consider the
backward classes to be an important part of society.5 They are seen as just “factors of
production” as described by Marx in his ‘theory of alienation’. Thus, it is evident how
vulnerable the backward classes are. Some may argue that the government announced a 20lakh crore relief package to help the migrant labourers. But the truth lies in the fact that the
migrant workers will only receive free foodgrains (5kgs) and 1kg of channa instead of getting
‘direct money transfer’ which would have given them full discretion to spend according to
their needs.6 This situation of the workers is similar to that of the alienation and
marginalization faced by the Darjeeling plantation workers back in the 1950s when they were
exploited by the land owners.7
Talking about migrant workers, many of these workers are street vendors in the urban cities
who live hand to mouth on their wages. Coronavirus has damaged India’s ecosystem of street
vendors by a large scale. Among the street vendors, talking specifically about the tea stalls,
India is the second-largest producer of tea in the world. Indians have a deep fondness for their
tea and 80% of tea in India is consumed domestically.8 This is the reason why the so-called
‘tapri’ chai culture (or ‘addas’) is so famous in India.9 The need for social interaction has
made this culture an indelible part of India. However, the closure of the tea stalls due to
COVID-19 has not only put an end to this unique culture of networking but has questioned
the existence of the street vendors in the future. With everyone becoming more and more
cautious of what and where to eat or drink, the street vendors are facing a huge loss of
customers. Also, with people becoming familiar and preferring to work from home, they are
transforming the office culture into their homes (the chai culture is most prevalent near
Mander, Harsh. “A Moment for Civilisational Introspection.” The Hindu. The Hindu, May 29, 2020.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-moment-for-civilisational-introspection/article31705361.ece.
6
Deshingkar, Priya. “Why India's Migrants Deserve a Better Deal.” Livemint, May 18, 2020.
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/why-india-s-migrants-deserve-a-better-deal-11589818749274.html.
7
Besky, Sarah. “Plantation.” In The Darjeeling Distinction - Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in
India, 85. University of California Press, 2013.
8
“Executive Summary of Study on Domestic Consumption of Tea in India.” Kolkata: Tea Board India, 1
9
Bhateja, Apeksha. “Will Coronavirus End India's Tapri Chai Culture?” BBC Worklife. BBC, June 26, 2020.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200626-will-coronavirus-end-indias-tapri-chai-culture.
5
offices). Thus, the shutters of the tea stall street vendors might just have permanently been
pulled down making them unemployed. Unemployment means no means of salary for them
which translates into workers not having access to the basic necessities of food and shelter.
Gandhiji argued that the real guide of a well-organised society is ‘not the number of
millionaires it owns, but the absence of starvation among the masses’.10 Clearly, Indian
civilisation is heading only far from the society aspired by Gandhiji.
To look at social justice from a different perspective, COVID has thrown upon India, an
infrastructural challenge of lack of hospital beds and ventilators to treat coronavirus positive
cases. This has created hardships concerning the prioritisation of beds. Do the older people
who are more prone to dying of the virus get the bed or do the younger generation who have
a majority of their lives yet to live, get preference.11 This creates a situation of a dilemma for
the hospitals to decide whom to admit and whom to reject. Amidst all this, Indian ministers
are taking advantage of their privileges and getting admitted to private hospitals as soon as
they show any symptoms of the virus.12 This is leading to social discrimination where the
people who are in actual need of the beds are not being able to get themselves a proper
treatment.
COVID at the same time has become a challenge to the issue of secularism which India is
facing. The widespread protests for CAA-NRC which were in full swing before the lockdown
have all come down to a halt. A major question which arises is, will the people of the country
forget about the protests against the Act which is discriminatory to Muslims and have
threatened their existence in India? Or will protests resume shortly? With the increased
awareness and need for social distancing, protests seem to be a distant dream. Police brutality
Tiwari, Amit Kumar. “Gandhian Development Model as an Alternative Development Model in Post-COVID19 Indian Economy.” 349, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 2020.
11
Das, Veena. “Facing Covid-19: My Land of Neither Hope nor Despair.” American Ethnological Society, May
1, 2020. https://americanethnologist.org/features/collections/covid-19-and-student-focused-concerns-threatsand-possibilities/facing-covid-19-my-land-of-neither-hope-nor-despair.
12
Rao, Jammi N. “Ministers Set a Poor Example by Taking up Hospital Beds as Soon as They Test Positive for
Covid.” Newslaundry. Accessed August 12, 2020. https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/08/05/ministers-set-apoor-example-by-taking-up-hospital-beds-as-soon-as-they-test-positive-for-covid.
10
was already prevailing during the protests as multiple waves of bloodshed, property
destruction and rioting were seen all across the country.13 With the initiation of the lockdown,
the brutality has only become worse.14 A massive challenge lies in front of the people to
protect their rights, particularly the right to protest for not just CAA-NRC but for all the
issues prevailing in the society that needs the public to raise a voice against.
Besides the social impact COVID-19 will have, there are some cultural aspects of the Indian
civilisation which will be impacted. Although seemingly minor, handshakes (or holding
hands) and touching the feet of elders are deeply rooted in Indian culture. Be it Mahatma
Gandhi holding Rev.C.F. Andrews hands at his deathbed, or Pandit Nehru shaking hands
with Achara Vinoba Bhave, or Narendra Modi shaking hands with Nawaz Sharif, handshakes
establish a connection between two human beings, depicting a sense of trust and faith
between them. The Indian civilisation is portrayed by the ‘mudras’ of the human hand, which
is considered to be a warm and open-hearted gesture.15 However, the activity of handshakes
has been restricted by the novel coronavirus. It has forfeited the love and understating the
hands possess and is acting as a barrier in retaining our customs in the long run. Another
gesture which is intrinsic to the Indian tradition is the practice of touching the feet of elders.
The Atharva Veda says that when you touch the feet of the elders, they shower you with
blessings and knowledge.16 It is considered a great sign of respect. Feet are a body part that
has significant meaning in India. However, people are refraining from touching elders’ feet
and this traditional practice might come to an end soon if social distancing is the ‘new
normal’ in the coming future. The exclusion of handshakes and touching elders’ feet from
society might pose a serious threat to the younger generations who are still on the verge of
developing social manners and learning to respect their elders. Since technology has become
the go-to way for upbringing children, there has been a lack of exposure to ancient books,
stories, ethics and holy books (which form a critical part of Indian history) in their lives,
13
Lokaneeta, Jinee. “Anti-CAA Protests Reveal Torture Remains at the Heart of Indian Policing.” The Wire.
Accessed August 12, 2020. https://thewire.in/rights/anti-caa-protests-reveal-torture-remains-at-the-heart-ofindian-policing.
14
Das, Veena. “Facing Covid-19: My Land of Neither Hope nor Despair.” American Ethnological Society, May
1, 2020. https://americanethnologist.org/features/collections/covid-19-and-student-focused-concerns-threatsand-possibilities/facing-covid-19-my-land-of-neither-hope-nor-despair.
15
Gandhi, Gopalkrishna. “Indian Civilisation The Vista.” Lecture-1, July 6, 2020.
16
Whitney, William Dwight. In Atharva-Veda-Saṁhitā, 235,379. Dehli: Motilal Banarsidass, 1971.
which depict moral values essential to lead a happy life.17 I fear that the coronavirus will only
make the youth more and more ignorant of these cultural aspects.
To conclude, it is becoming increasingly important to protect social justice with the alarming
threats of coronavirus. While migrant workers are dying while walking back to their villages
and not getting the support they need, it is leading to increased social discrimination and
income inequality. The new practice of the virtual world i.e., work from home is leading to
the closure of the street vendors selling tea and the eventual abandoning of the ‘adda’ culture
which promotes socialization. People are unable to protect their human rights (right to
freedom of speech and expression/right to protest) in the society during these tough times
fearing police brutality. Coronavirus has seriously challenged Mahatma Gandhi’s ambitious
dream of India being a healthy society based on harmony, equality and justice. 18 A moment
of civilisational introspection is needed to re-imbibe the strong sense of community among
us, to foster a feeling of intense solidarity and to acknowledge our collective culpability in the
social crimes of disregarding some sections of the society.19
Satyarthi, Kailash. “Resetting Civilisation in Post-Covid-19 World.” The Indian Express, June 4, 2020.
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/covid-19-india-migrants-civilisation-kailash-satyarthi6442523/.
18
Tiwari, Amit Kumar. “Gandhian Development Model as an Alternative Development Model in Post-COVID19 Indian Economy.” 349, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 2020.
19
Kaviraj, Sudipta. The Imaginary Institution of India: Politics and Ideas. 188, New York: Columbia University
Press, 2010. Accessed August 12, 2020. doi:10.7312/kavi15222.
17
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh
2. The Constitution of India, Part III, Page 7
3. https://www.livemint.com/news/india/why-india-s-migrants-deserve-a-better-deal11589818749274.html.
4. https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/covid-19-india-migrantscivilisation-kailash-satyarthi-6442523/.
5. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-moment-for-civilisationalintrospection/article31705361.ece.
6. The Darjeeling Distinction - Labor and Justice on Fair-Trade Tea Plantations in India
by Sarah Besky
7. Executive Summary of Study on Domestic Consumption of Tea in India by Tea
Board India
8. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200626-will-coronavirus-end-indias-taprichai-culture.
9. Gandhian Development Model as an Alternative Development Model in PostCOVID-19 Indian Economy by Amit Kumar Tiwari
10. Facing Covid-19: My Land of Neither Hope nor Despair By Veena Das
11. https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/08/05/ministers-set-a-poor-example-by-takingup-hospital-beds-as-soon-as-they-test-positive-for-covid.
12. https://thewire.in/rights/anti-caa-protests-reveal-torture-remains-at-the-heart-ofindian-policing
13. Atharva-Veda-Saṁhitā by Dwight William Whitney
14. The Imaginary Institution of India: Politics and Ideas by Sudipta Kaviraj