After the self-imposed
Janata Curfew comes the 21 day curfew announced by Prime Minister of the Nation
Shri Narendra Modiji. He spoke of the
need of remaining at home, not crossing the Lakshman Rekha – it is imperative
that we follow the directive. Stay at
Home for your sake; everyone's sake, for the sake of our Nation. #StayHomeIndia, #NationalLockdown
In the great Ithihasa
purana ‘Ramayana’ when Lakshmana fell
unconscious, near death, hit by an arrow from Ravana’s son Meghnad, Hanuman
approached the Lankan Royal Physician Sushena for advice. Sushena asked Hanuman to rush to Dronagiri
Hills and fetch four plants: Mruthasanjeevani (restorer of life),
Vishalyakarani (remover of arrows), Sandhanakarani (restorer of the skin) and
Savarnyakarani (restorer of skin colour) (Srimad Valmiki Ramayana, 74th
chapter, Yuddakanda, Slokas 29-34). Hanuman, not able to pick the four from the
multitude, brought back the entire hill. And Lakshmana was revived from near
death back to life, and to victory.
गत्वा
परममध्वानम् उपर्युपरि सागरम् ।
हिमवन्तं
नगश्रेष्ठम् हनुमन् गन्तुमर्हसि ॥
கத்வா
பரமமத்வாநம் உபர்யுபரி ஸாகரம் ।
ஹிமவந்தம்
நகஸ்ரேஷ்டம் ஹநுமந் கந்துமர்ஹஸி ॥
You shall, O Hanumān, go
to Himavān, the best among the mountains, flying a long way high
above the ocean! .. .. just as Hanuman performed
this wondrous deed, We too as servants of the Nation shall simply follow the
Golden rule, stay for 21 days at home, work for the Nation, by being at Home
and prevent the spread of the dreaded virus.
Today @ 8 pm again the
Nation sat glued to TV sets. Prime
Minister Narendra Modiji announced a
complete lockdown of 21 days for the entire country. The lockdown will start at
12 am on Tuesday, said PM Modi during his address to the nation. PM Modi urged
every Indian to stay indoors and self-isolate.
He said that if India does not manage the lockdown for these 21 days
then India will be pushed back by 21 years. The Prime Minister added that this
lockdown is more important than the janta curfew announced for Sunday. PM Modi
urged the importance of social distancing during his address. He added that
social isolation is important for everyone and not only the sick. "Social
distancing is for everyone, for everyone in the family. Social distancing is
even for the Prime Minister," said PM Modi.
"It took 67 days for
the first lakh people to be infected from coronavirus. It only took 11 days for
the next 1 lakh to be infected. Even more scary is the fact that it took only
four days for the figure to rise to 3 lakhs," said PM Modi. He added that
India will bear the financial consequences of the lockdown. "But to save
the lives of every Indian is my, the state government and the central
government's biggest priority," said PM Modi. "I urge you to stay
wherever you are in the country," he added.
"Forget what it is
like stepping out of the house for 21 days. Stay at home and only stay at home.
Today's decision of countrywide lockdown has drawn a Lakshman Rekha around the
door of your house," he emphasised.
Just to add
some history to not so comparable lockdowns - Madras was well prepared to face
an air raid from the Japanese during World War II. Air raid shelters were
built, sirens installed, slit trenches dug and pamphlets that told residents
how to stay safe pasted everywhere. Yet it is reported that when a Japanese plane finally bombed the city
on the night of October 11, 1943, no one knew about it for three days.
Alfred the
Great was King of Wessex from 871 to c. 886 and King of the Anglo-Saxons. He ascended the throne when his father died
at his young age. After ascending the
throne, Alfred spent several years fighting Viking invasions. He won a decisive
victory in the Battle of Edington in 878 and made an agreement with the
Vikings, creating what was known as the Danelaw in the North of England.
Read that
there was ‘curfew bell’ - a bell rung in the evening in Medieval England
as the curfew signal for everyone to go to bed.
Reportedly a bell was rung usually around eight o'clock in the evening
which meant for them to cover their fires - deaden or cover up, not necessarily
put out altogether. The usual procedure was at the sound of the curfew bell the
burning logs were removed from the centre of the hearth of a warming fire and
the hot ashes swept to the back and sides. The cold ashes were then raked back
over the fire so as to cover it. A benefit of covering up the fire in the
evening was the prevention of destructive conflagrations caused by unattended
live fires, a major concern since at the time most structures were made of wood
and burned easily.
The curfew
bell with the associated curfew law is recorded by history as having been
started by Alfred the Great; the law associated with the curfew bell is a
custom that history records as being adopted by William I of England in the year 1068. The curfew law imposed upon the people was a
compulsory duty they had to do or be punished like a criminal. During World War
II, the Air Ministry had forecast that Britain would suffer night air bombing
attacks causing large numbers of civilian casualties and mass destruction. It
was widely agreed that navigation and targeting would be more difficult if
man-made lights on the ground could be extinguished. Blackout regulations imposed in 1939, required that all windows and doors should be
covered at night with suitable material such as heavy curtains, cardboard or
paint, to prevent the escape of any glimmer of light that might aid enemy
aircraft.
The present
scenario is far different – it is imperative that all stay at home, avoid
social contact, fight the dreaded Corona virus.
Together we must triumph, prevent the spread of virus in the Nation and
get back to streets with happy message of having conquered the killer virus
With regards
– S. Sampathkumar
24th
Mar 2020.
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