Tell us your ‘Corona kathe’

A week into the lockdown, I got a call from the daughter of a deceased man. She wanted my help to reach her native place in Udupi district, Karnataka, from Mumbai, where she lives along with her sister and family. I somehow managed to get permission for the sister from local officials in Karnataka, but due to strict guidelines in Mumbai, they could not make it to their father’s funeral. The daughters could not see their father’s face one last time. The lady told me, “Anil, this is not easy to live with, this feeling of helplessness that you don’t even get to perform your father’s last rites. It will take us a long time to come to terms with.” This tragedy
led me to start a platform called ‘Corona Kathe.’ The idea is to collect all such experiences of the lockdown period in one place in the form of stories.

Conversation and storytelling is the very foundation of human society. We invented language to be able to share all that we experience. I believe that in times like these, we must encourage people to share their stories without fear so that we, as humanity collectively, can learn from them and improve ourselves.

We like to believe that we are a civilised society that is based on reasoning. Every life is sacred. The coronavirus does not discriminate against anyone based on caste, religion, economic or social status. A few privileged are airlifted and brought to safety; vast numbers of poor migrant labourers are sprayed with chemical disinfectants. Such incidents must be told so we can correct our mistakes as a society. In fact, we need not hide anything. Good stories or bad stories, we must be brave to tell it all and hear it all.

I believe whenever there is communal violence, we must bring local communities together to have a conversation around the incident so that we can heal bad memories and build resilience. Doing so may not be good for somebody’s politics, but for the sake of harmony in society, we must encourage people to talk about such incidents so that they don’t happen again in that place. We must constantly strive to build resilience in society. And that’s what we must do during the lockdown, too. Talk about it.

In the times we live in, I can’t help but imagine how lucky a generation we are. We haven’t had to fight a major war, face famine or have had to struggle for freedom. Perhaps for the first time in the lives of many of us, we are facing a crisis due to an invisible enemy. Covid-19 has impacted our lives in every way possible. Families are distanced, supplies are disrupted and the economy is in a standstill. Let’s hear each other’s stories.

The world wouldn’t have known what Indians underwent during Partition nor what the Jews suffered during the Holocaust, but for the stories shared by communities, which later became books and movies that educated generations to come. Such stories not only build resilience but also give us a purpose -- to strive for the progress of humanity.

Soon, this, too, will pass, and we will head back to normal. But what will remain etched in our memories are the stories that we hear from those who went through unforgettable pain, loss and anguish. We will also hear stories from those who tested positive but fought on and emerged victorious over the virus. Sometimes, all you need to do is listen. It is up to us to provide a shoulder to those in distress. It is imperative that we hear stories from healthcare workers, volunteers, policemen, civic officials and even political leaders. We must also express our gratitude by sharing stories of those who have exhibited extraordinary courage and kindness in helping out fellow citizens in distress.

It is time to heal. I hope these stories serve as lessons as well as inspiration for not just our generation, but for future generations, too. They should know what we underwent and what we did in these times. They should know what they can do when they are faced with a calamity.

#CoronaKathe is a platform on which people from across the country can share their stories. Many already have. Please do share your story, too, by recording it on this toll-free number: 9048490484

(The writer is Founder, Nav Bharat Party)