It has been a desire in every Indian’s heart to help India become a super power and a world leader. Though this desire has been in our heart since many years, have we ever tried to put in efforts towards achieving this goal?
We all have actually become customers of foreign goods even for the ones of basic necessities though they can be easily produced in our country. It is also a surprise that we have become so much dependent that we are unable to stop ourselves from buying foreign goods even for the festivals celebrated in our country. Annually, about $480 billion is spent by our country on its import. So, don’t you think it would be better if all that money is spent on purchasing indigenously manufactured goods?
Just remember, India’s population is its biggest strength and if we all start preferring ‘Made in India’ over imported goods, India’s economy will see a jump. This will help us generate direct and indirect employment due to which our economy will witness an improvement in the economic development.
God supports those who work with hope and strategy.
Every country is desperate to sell their products to India since Indian market is so big. But we have Indian companies like Infosys, Airtel, Ranbaxy and TATA which are trying to innovate products which can beat foreign products and capture foreign market too. COCONICS, a new private–public company set–up in Kerala has announced to manufacture new laptops which will be completely Indian made and available at affordable prices.
Our Government has started taking steps to promote local goods and one such example is ‘Atman Nirbhar Bharat’.
Our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi reaffirmed that India has the talent to make the best products. He also stated that one of the key ways to a self–reliant India is to buy and promote local products.
So, a major part of this mission and even its success lies in the hands of us citizens. If the country gets united and only has an aim to make India a successful and developed country, then no one in this world will be able to stop us from becoming the New India which we have always dreamt of.
Well, I would be wondering the same thing if you asked me. My reply would be something like “Umm, I dunno, like dry hair and ruin people’s hair just after they managed to comb it down before a party?” But that would be before the Parcel arrived.
It was one of those fresh mornings that rarely come, one that makes you want to sit outside with a milkshake and a cookie and gloat over the fact that you didn’t turn any of your plants into The Sahara Desert or Michigan Lake, while your neighbour destroyed five of his plants and had to spend all his monthly savings (probably) into buying new crotons.
So, I did just that. I walked out of the door, with some cash in my pocket for buying milkshake and cookies. I hardly noticed a large lightning blue box, nothing like your average courier box. That is, until I tripped over it. I hit my shin, landing face-first into my chrysanthemums. “So much for my houseplants,” I grumbled.
I got up and started checking for broken bones. I was just checking my rather painful shoulder blade when I noticed the blue box, with an irregular imprint where my shin had collided with it. Confused, I checked my phone for any orders that week, though I already suspected that no courier companies used bright blue boxes for delivering stuff. And no, there were no orders due that week, that month, that whole quarter of the year!
Sceptically, I surveyed the box, the way a detective would survey a scene of crime. After a few moments of suspiciously surveying the box, I gingerly took it inside.
All the while carrying the box, I wondered who had sent the box to me. Could it be the FBI? Or the CIA? Or space monkeys who ate pizza? Definitely Space monkeys who ate pizza.
I set the box down onto the table. And inside the Bright Blue Box that beheld the mysteries of Space monkeys that ate pizza was a … hair dryer!?!
“Oh great, now I have another hair dryer,” I said, remembering that my uncle Jai had given me a hair dryer on Christmas. I reached for the dryer but instead my fingers touched the surface of something that burned like lava. The pain was so bad that my hand went numb. My vision was as if I were seeing through a layer of red frosted glass. Thank the gods I remembered to put my hand under cold running water. The tap became soft as clay when I touched it and the cold water turned to steam on contact with my hand. The ice I put on my hand did the same. But the worst was yet to come. The gel ice pack! It exploded into blue coloured toxic stuff that released an acrid fume.
I went to the laundry and fished out the baking gloves that my Aunt Isha had given me and returned to the box. But this time I wasn’t going to be fooled. I took out a pair of ancient tongs made of zirconium (who knew I had all that lying around) and carefully reached for the hair dryer.
Funnily enough, it came out, though not peacefully. The hair dryer burned a deep shade of orange. The moment the dryer (that is if you can call it a dryer) came out of the box, it exploded. I hoped that my hand would go numb again, but this time I wasn’t so lucky. White-hot pokers of pain shot through my arm, screaming for me to let go, and my hand went limp, the pain however remained. I silently cursed myself for not calling the fire brigade. I almost screamed, but then remembered that I would need my voice box for the rest of my life. My vision flashed red.
Somewhere a jug of water turned over and splashed onto the dryer. It sizzled and burned, then suddenly, shot straight up into the ceiling and created one last, dying explosion, a release of such a tremendous amount of energy that the ceiling rippled like water.
But before the dryer had collided with the ceiling, I noticed something.
“It was going to be dangerous all along. Dear God, please warn me beforehand next time.”
* * *
Finally, I woke up in my bed, with a faint memory of a bright blue box with a hair appliance inside. “I wonder what it could be?” And still I do not know. But if you get to know, please contact me on the planet of Space monkeys that eat pizza.
P.S. The author of this piece does not actually own a hair dryer nor does his allowance cover milkshake and cookie at the same time.
P.P.S This was written in the middle of a Lockdown so who are we even kidding.
As quoted in the words of many analysts and researchers, “The Covid-19 pandemic is widely regarded as the greatest and the most severe problem faced by the entire world.,” This is a global pandemic and during these tough times it’s paramount for all the nations to cooperate and work together in favour of people’s health, their lifestyle and towards the benefit of the human race.
This ever changing world is constantly undergoing varied problems. The challenge lies upon each one of us and it entirely depends on the way we react to this pandemic. Embracing hope, utilising technology and having faith in the Almighty will definitely prove to be useful for all. Working individually and separately wouldn’t be helpful and this pandemic demands togetherness and unity.
But wait a minute, the lines quoted above would have definitely made you familiar with the severity of the crisis, isn’t it? But is it as minacious and deadly as we consider it to be. Yeah, I do agree that this pandemic has caused a turmoil around the world and has upturned the economy, but it must also have some latent benefits, right?
So let’s analyse the gravity of the situation and come to a final conclusion. Are you all ready? Tighten your seat-belts, breathe in and release and now let’s get started with a roller coaster ride and find out whether it will prove to be fruitful or detrimental.
A discussion and analyzation of a particular situation is the most suitable way to come to conclusion. Following the limits set by this statement, we shall discuss the pros and cons of this global dilemma.
Starting with the cons of this predicament: –
A major challenge posed by this pandemic is the worry of the people about the situation after the pandemic gets stabilised. Discussing the current situation of India, we all are well aware that the country’s prime activities are restarting and the situation is gradually normalising. A majority of the Indian citizens find staying at homes more suitable for their safety and they are unwilling to get out to work. The threat of catching this deadly virus is still a major fear among the people. This needs to be countered by influencing the opinion of the people and willing them to come out. Taking proper precautions is what is the need of the hour. An individual who remains responsible and aware shall survive the wrath of this hardship.
The economic sector has been hit quite severely by this virus and the revival of economic sector would be the next major task that the citizens and government would have to look upon. Revival of such activities would be quite difficult but it can’t be termed impossible. In a developing country like India, this challenge is a massive one as the country already has various issues that need to be looked upon. The government has already established a plan and under Unlock 1.0, the economic activities are gradually restarting. Taking advantage of the situation, India can achieve new heights and emerge as a world superpower. However, the country must also keep in mind its global obligations and duties that it needs to fulfil.
The global governments consider the lockdown to be the best and the most ideal way to assess the situation and to curb the spread of infection. Although the lockdown was beneficial it has the ability to create long term impacts on the lifestyle of people. Many psychiatrists believe that a prolonged lockdown or confinement in homes can lead to a global mental crisis as confinement can lead to depression, anxiety, boredom and lack of creativity. It is necessary to get an idea about the gravity of the situation and then take immediate actions. Practising meditation, pranayams can prove to be fruitful. Spending more time with family and the loved ones is also advised.
The highly contagious virus has been the centre of interest and attraction for the researchers and healthcare experts and this focus on a single facet can lead to another massive outbreak that can prove to be more lethal for the planet. World organisations such as WHO have constantly been asking nations to focus on other diseases as well.
With the onset of lockdown, the dependency of people on sources of information has increased dramatically. Be it a person of any age group, he/she has shown an increased inclination towards technology. Be it the online classes being attended by children, the office meetings being attended by job goers, the trial of new food recipes at home or the prime attraction for all social media- all these activities make use of an electronic gadget which in turn leads to the stress on eyes and can result in cognitive issues.
Talking about all the pessimistic aspects would have given you a scare and hence let us discuss the positive impacts to calm your nerves and to establish a sense of relief in you.
The so called lockdown has particularly provided nature with ample time to heal itself and revive its natural aura and beauty that attracts humans from far and wide. Humans like me and you have knowingly or unknowingly hampered the scenic beauty of the planet for our own benefits and pleasures. The mighty rivers, glaciers and forests have been provided time to recover from the injuries caused to them by humans. This pandemic has provided us a second chance to change our mindset towards Mother Earth. In other words, this one obstacle has provided us a heal and answer to another major issue that is CLIMATE CHANGE.
Crime is a term that scares and brings goosebumps to almost everyone. This incarceration in homes has several constructive impressions and a prime one being reduced crime rate. The crime rate in various countries has significantly reduced and this is another positive impact.
This indefinite period has provided us sufficient time to engage in something more productive that can prove to be instrumental in the long run and has also provided us family time. In other words, it has given us a break from monotonous life. We can now utilise our time in our own way and can give complete attention to our hobbies.
The Covid 19 pandemic is all about maintaining basic personal hygiene and the pandemic would definitely show a big change on our lifestyle. This pandemic would stress upon the need to ensure a good personal hygiene and hence the government would be compelled to make people aware of ways to maintain good physical hygiene. This sort of a situation has enabled the government to realise its shortcomings and it shall definitely help the government overcome these issues with a better dealing of affairs in the near future.
The government has proposed and suggested that citizens adhere to the ancient Ayurvedic ways to increase immunity and boost metabolism. These Ayurvedic recipes have grown up to be widely popular not only among the natives of India but also among the people of the world. Hence the image of India in the world has taken a pretty good shape and people have started believing in ancient Indian practices such as Yoga.
The lockdown has also provided us a wonderful chance to peep out of the window, look at the garden and spot a beautiful vibrant bird with all its wings stretched. This is a fascinating lockdown effect as the pandemic has helped the creatures to live a life in serenity and calmness. This time is ideal for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers as they can always spot some enchantress belonging to the ultimate flora and fauna.
We have got a hang of points in our bag and it seems as if these are sufficient to come to a final epilogue that will result in a termination to our prolonged discussion. Here comes the final end to our adventurous ride and before this we have a slight twist in our route. We shall now approach the steepest climb of this ride. So here comes a breeze of air, your hair goes wild and the wind and speed force you to make a weird expression. Hold your seat tightly everyone because here comes the final leap!!!
After going through the analysis thoroughly, many of you might have already anticipated the final outcome, and you might also be holding grudges against me for testing your patience, right??? We all have heard this phrase, ‘The more you wait, the better results you obtain.’ So gear up my friends because here breaks the suspense and comes forward the outcome.
We have clearly noticed that the pros and cons of this pandemic are diverse and seeing and observing closely we find that this pandemic comes with its own losses and profits. The benefits of the pandemic clearly outnumber the demerits. Therefore, we may conclude that each problem comes with its own challenges and the adversities of a particular issue bring in solutions to the other one. The incoming adversities bring terror but the after effects of every situation bring relaxation. These situations also strengthen us from within and the citizens are tested through these situations. So… there are no worries…. just sit down, and relax…say, “all is well” and here comes a sudden ray of hope from within which enlightens the gloomy days…and you might not even realise when the situation stabilises.
