The Bull (COVID-19) in a China Shop of the Global Village.

      Three distinct economic activities were initiated with much fanfare and surplus of hope in our country in the very start of nineties. These were conveniently called privatisation, liberalization and globalization. For a good reason these were referred to as three dimensions of our economic reform policy of 1991. In each passing year our economic capacity happened to expand by leaps and bound by making use of these forces of privatisation, liberalization and globalization.
              We started feeling proud of being a part of global economic system euphemistically called "global village".
     Our level of living rose phenomenally. Our income increased, purchasing power popped like any thing. We chose to travel abroad every now and then. Flights to a number of global destinations multiplied. England, America, Italy, China appeared to be just like a next door neighbors. Business trips increased, studying abroad became commonplace for most of the upstarts.
Not only that; a single phonecall or mail enabled us to get a foreign item (whether goods or food) of our choice within a day or sometimes the same day at our doorstep. It all depends on how much money power we have acquired in this regime propelled by new economic forces driven by ceaseless reforms of sorts.
But what happened all of a sudden? The inhabitants of this global village have shut down their doors and windows for fellow neighbors. Movements have been restricted. Flights cancelled, orders withdrawn.
The buzz words like distancing, quarantine, isolation and lock down etc. are doing rounds everywhere.
The flamboyance associated with 'Shake Hand' has given way to a benign 'Namaste'.
                   
                     Hitherto this global village had only globalized price & facilities but now it is globalising epidemic in the form of pandemic "Corona".

This is all due to "Corona Virus" playing havoc internationally; forcing us to rethink on the issue what globalization has produced. We have started living together 'Separately'. Experts term it "Social Distancing". The situation has come to such a pass that the so called Janata Curfew (a self-imposed confinement in home) has been pleaded by no less a person than our prime minister. We can call it hazards of globalization, to say the least.
          The architects of liberal economy must not have forseen this scenario. Had it been so they must have devised 'something' that could provide handle to deal with this hazards.

The pandemonium is still continuing. Helpless humanity, as of now, has no choice but to fight  this monstrous and callous 'Corona' with mere hands only.
But this hand must be cleaned with repeated washings. Only then our hands will serve as a weapon for us.
R.R.Prabhakar.
20.03.2020.