Life “is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” So said Shakespeare in Macbeth, a tragedy of epic proportion where the eponymous hero fell because of only one tragic flaw: “Vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself.”  Covid19 brought the “sound and fury, signifying nothing” part of Macbeth like a thunderbolt rolled onto an unsuspecting mankind. And Hamartia, or the tragic flaw, that Shakespeare’s tragic heroes had, has its echo in present times too. Covid19 lays bare our fault lines and exposes our flaws like never before. It has, in fact, come as a great teacher to mankind – perhaps because the ‘kind’ in “man” had shrunk to a miniscule level. It has given us a huge nudge to readjust our priorities that were slinking to abominable levels of putrid materialism.  Hmm…..looked closely, it also has been a period of wish-fulfillment, the collective wishes of entire mankind, or rather man-unkind, witnessing fruition of shared desires in a way unparalleled.

To further explain my points, let me take the first premise of collective wish fulfillment. Was the entire human race not clamoring for clearer skies, cleaner air and sparkling water? Millions of dollars were being spent on hosting international meets that often ended up revealing more dissensions than agreements. Each country blamed the other for being a greater polluter, never wanting to clean its own Augean stables. Year after year, there were foreboding studies that announced imminent doom of the planet if countries did not clean up the environmental mess. Countries met, they bickered and blamed each other, and dispersed.

Then, in one fell swoop all pollution abated….. people could not believe the blue of sky could actually be so inky blue and clear, and the air going into human lungs could be wholesome without causing the rasping cough and blocked sinuses. My family ate green leafy vegetables without fear of them being laced with industrial waste – the water hitherto being let out in the fields outside Delhi from where our produce comes.  How often have we wished for lesser congestion on roads. Traffic, everywhere had become a nightmare. Each time we were caught in serpentine traffic snarls, it was nostalgia time. “Oh, when I first came to Delhi more than 30 years ago this road was deserted, and it almost felt unsafe driving here late in the evening!” One lockdown, the beginning of a series of them, and you were transported back to the “good old days!” Maybe, the definition of “good” was no longer the same because now it was tinged with fear of the unknown, unseen, tiny virus that was keeping everyone indoors.

“Monday morning blues” was the litany of all working people. I remember beginning to feel the blues just when Sunday dawned. Why can’t weekends be longer, was the refrain echoed in all corners of the world – languages varied, refrain the same.  “Let all days be Sunday,” said the mighty voice. And we all huddled home every day, day after day. Beautiful day-planners lying on the desk were an investment most futile!!

Don’t blame any virus or any government for the pandemic…..all wishes are coming true. Is it self-fulfilling prophesy, or mere Ignis Fatuus!  Is it a passing phase, or the new world order is here to stay. Only time will tell.

One thing is for sure. The virus is not atemporal. It may either gradually die a natural death after peaking, or human intervention will see it rendered less menacing. Whatever it may be, but it surely will have taught us the much-needed and long-forgotten basic lessons before it exits.

First and foremost, Covid19 has added the fundamental “Pause” button to human race – race, both as noun and verb – the former defining the species, and the latter their feverish scurrying forth. I feel it has made us stop as the traffic light gradually turns red, so that we have time to reflect until it turns green and hence signal us to recalibrate our speed and direction.  We were all racing from morning until night, 24X7, in pursuit of something that was always outside our grasp.  Were we not all running away from life, looking for a meaning in a place it did not exist.  And now, staying within the confines of our homes we are learning to live with ourselves. Most friends and family I have spoken to have expressed how little we actually need in life and yet we carry the heaviest baggage. Our priorities had gone misplaced and it is time to set them right.  

What is of utmost importance is human life. This lesson, unfortunately, a deadly virus had to come and teach us. It has showed us that we need to value people and use things when we had been doing the reverse – Valuing things and using people. Time for some reverse-engineering. Time to smell the coffee!

People in lock-downs, living away from families learnt the value of a family, and those locked with their families are learning to share, care, and the biggest of all, to let-go. Sharing limited home space has strained many a family, for the virus leaves no option of quietly slipping away from home in case of any friction.  And therein lies the lesson of developing tolerance. “Love me when I deserve the least because that is when I need the most,” my friend’s recalcitrant teenager told his mother. Mighty lesson that is! Equally relevant for the youngster and his mother.

A huge take-away of Covid19, and, undeniably the most important to my mind, is that of empathy towards all living beings. We feel caged and suffocated inside homes. Our freedom is gone. But we are safe. Juxtapose that with slaughter houses and abattoirs where animals and birds are crammed and squished together. They are caged, and they know they will soon be slaughtered. They live with the constant ordeal of impending death. Try to feel what trauma we are subjecting them to. If we want to break free and breathe freely, do we have any right to encage other living beings and then butcher them. All this merely to satisfy our taste buds. Yes, time to rethink our values.

“It would seem resourceful, perhaps wise, to use suffering as a vehicle of transformation that allows us to open ourselves with compassion to those who suffer as we do, or even more than we do”, said Matthieu Ricard in his book Happiness. Roman philosopher Seneca once said that “Suffering may hurt, but it is not an evil.” Schopenhauer, the German philosopher may have had similar belief when he said that suffering is the purifying process through which alone, in most cases, a person is consecrated.  Sure enough, no one wants suffering and all human endeavor is towards forswearing it. However, it can be argued that while suffering by its very nature is abhorrent but when unable to avoid, we can use it to learn and to change.

While we wait with bated breath for this Covid19 to pass, we can only forget the lessons it continues to teach us – both, at the physical level and at a deeper existential, philosophical level, at our own peril.  In the latter half of this century when it is well behind us, and human race has the wisdom of hindsight, Covid19 may seem to be the one game-changer humankind desperately needed for course correction.

I started writing this piece when we were, what is now known as the middle of Covid, or the first phas (It may be known differently sometime down the line) . As we are a cat’s whisker away from getting the vaccine, these disembodied times however seem  here to stay for a while. I’m quite inclined to close with Hafiz : “I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being!” So instead of taking a world trip, go inside yourself and find the true essence. Nice things, beautiful scenic places, gourmet food and all the pompous pursuits of men are a happy place to be in, but the joy they provide is never ever-lasting. It is transitory. The value of things is only the value we ascribe to them. As Vivekananda said: “Things are dead in themselves. We breathe life into them, and then we either run after them or run away from them.”

Covid-19 has provided a big insight into what really matters in the race we call Life. The Pause-button ought to make us reflect on where we were headed, and which direction we need to take. Almost a year into the pandemic, the self-importance of man dissolves in laughter. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard, but we can choose our hard wisely. Look to the light within, for the more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be.

Central Government has launched a people friendly scheme especially for Sr.Citizens & also for all other citizens ~eSANJEEVANI.

Especially for aged people with blood pressure, diabetes, etc. who take regular medicine, they cannot be taken to hospital immediately for OPD.

Even, if they’re taken, risk is more. For small problems such as head ache, body pain, they might stay at home not willing to go to hospital.

Now, they have eSANJEEVANI website and app which is handy. You can reach this through Google Chrome and do the following.

1. Opt for patients registration.
2. Type your mobile no. and get OTP to get into the website.
3. Enter patient details and district.

Now, you will be connected to a doctor online.
Then, through video, you can consult the doctor for your any health problem.
Doctor will prescribe medicine online.
You can show that in medical pharmacy shop and get medicine.

This is totally free. Quacks will not be there. You can use this service every day from 10 am to 3 pm only. Including Sunday.

Tirupur in Tamil Nadu has got first place in this eConsultation.

Kindly forward this post to senior citizens and disabled people you know.

This Central Govt Website is https://www.eSanjeevaniopd.in

Also Available as an App on Playstore at this link:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.hied.esanjeevaniopd

Key features of this citizen friendly web-based National Teleconsultation Service (eSanjeevaniOPD) are:

Patient registration
Family member registration
Institutional registration (like correctional facilities, Sr. Citizen Homes, Orphanages etc.)
Queue Management
Video Consultation with a Doctor
Instant messaging (text-based)
ePrescription
SMS Notifications
Serviced by Doctors employed
Free Service (managed jointly by State

Yes you read it right. Everyone is waiting for a vaccine, but a truely time tested vaccine takes at least two to three years. Meanwhile there are many personal experiences being shared by people who have used holistic methods and recovered fully. These are brushed aside by people and agencies who believe in or have a vested interest in promoting only western medicines and drugs. Readers are also invited to watch demo videos prepared by Denanath Mangeshkar Hospital & Research Center, Pune, who protected their Covid Warriors from infection using these techniques

According to the report^​*​ published in msn.com:
As it stands, we’re several months into the pandemic, and a vaccine or cure could still be a long way off. This daunting fact has led researchers to explore other strategies for combating coronavirus, and mitigating its symptoms. Among those strategies is nasal irrigation, the practice of clearing the nasal passages, using a spray bottle or neti pot to introduce a therapeutic solution.One team of researchers recently studied the effects of nasal irrigation on COVID-19 and determined that this simple, at-home practice could very well help lessen a person’s viral load. “Nasal irrigations should be encouraged for patients and health care workers especially,” the study concludes.

Indian readers are quite aware of the procedure. The image above summarises it for readers who aren’t. Please read on. Also follow all the links if you want to know more.

While hardly a silver bullet solution for the disease, the study argues that nasal irrigation can help to “reduce viral severity and further transmission” of coronavirus early on after a patient becomes infected. The researchers explain that this is because, “similar to other viral upper respiratory infections, [coronavirus] infection occurs primarily in the nasal and nasopharyngeal mucosa with high viral loads early in disease.” This presents an opportunity to “wash COVID-19 away,” the study suggests.

An Important advice To make Neti practice safe use filtered or distilled lukewarm salted water as suggested by Yoga ancient texts of India. The temperature of the water should be around the temperature of the blood and after doing neti one should practice kapalbhati (i.e blowing air gently from the nose to expel residual water). And to be on a safer side if you are practicing neti for the first time, do it under the guidance of a practitioner.

The researchers noted that the general “benefit of topical nasal saline has been well established,” explaining that the nasal lining serves an important role in the immune system, acting as the primary defense against inhaled viruses and bacteria. Nasal rinses help remove this particulate matter, while also increasing hydration and reducing inflammation—all of which can lessen the effects of a respiratory infection.

So what exactly do you need in order to try it out? The study suggested choosing an over-the-counter hypertonic saline spray, which can be found in most pharmacies. Betadine and other iodine-derivative sprays also appear to support “substantial coronavirus reduction,” the researchers noted.

While there is no cure for coronavirus, this at-home treatment may help to limit the severity of your illness, and reduce your time spent sick—and that’s certainly a step in the right direction. And for more on this simple practice, check out 

Nasal Irrigation Is the Key to Reducing COVID-19 Progression, Doctor Says.

Exactly two months ago, on 17th March 2020 In a perceptive article, author Maiti Bibhansu, wrote in Times of India about the subtle science of Microvita. First proposed by P.R Sarcar, 34 years ago, it has a great relevance to the mysterious pandemic, Coronavirus, baffling scientists all over the world.

Bibhansu writes: Coronovirus has become a severe threat to this planet earth. It is spreading like wildfire. WHO has declared a health emergency. Still, there is no proper treatment to fight it.

In the year 1986, the great spiritual master and philosopher Shri P R Sarkar aka Shri Shri Anandamurti wrote a book, “Microvita in a nutshell”. This book has a link to some viruses like coronavirus. Sarkar is of the opinion that the smallest particle of matter or an element is not an atom, electron or proton but a microvitum or microvita in the plural. Microvita exists in both physical and psychic realms. Physically they are smaller than a sub-atomic particle and in the psychic realm, they are subtler than ectoplasm. These microvita belong to three categories—positive or friendly microvita, negative or harmful microvita and neutral microvita.

According to the Dutch microvita researcher Henk de Weijer “Microvita are tiny creative catalysing agents. They build atoms of matter, biology and mind while cooperating with the characteristics of subatomic particles and pure energy”.

Starting from the basic concept expressed by Sarkar in his discourses, the scholar Richard Gautier highlighted the involvement of microvita in the organization of energy for the creation and maintenance of structures. He wrote: “…without microvita, no physical structure can exist. This is because, without microvita, energy or prana cannot be organized to become vital energy and create or maintain the existence of a structure.”

In connection with Quantum Field Theory, another researcher from the Netherlands, Frank van den Bovenkamp, suggests that the scalar field (a special type of quantum field) not only gives mass to elementary particles but on top of that produces subtle vibrations which appear to possess certain characteristics of microvita. This inner, simultaneous state of the all-pervading scalar field is reminiscent of P.R. Sarkar’s philosophical concept of “Trigunatmika”, also referred to as the Causal Matrix, and has no reality in the absolute sense but is superior to its effects and is inferred by them.

Reacting to the article, Richard Gauthier a researcher and Physics instructor, from Santa Rosa Junior College, California, USA, wrote: “This is a very nice article about microvita and their potential for helping society in these difficult times. I have been researching microvita for more than 30 years. some of my articles on microvita and science can be found at: richardgauthier(dot)academia(dot)edu(slash) research.

“My latest research”, he adds, “is about Microvita and the Origin of the Universe. You can find a PowerPoint for this article “superluminal primordial information quanta (sprinqs) created and compose a multiverse of equally fine-tuned universes evolving life and highly-developed minds” at the above location in the presentations section. I encourage interested people to find out more about microvita and to read P.R. Sarkar’s original article about microvita at microvita(dot)org. Read from source at the link below:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/understanding-yoga/coronavirus-and-p-r-sarkars-intuitional-science-of-microvita-10638/

IIITD Student B.Tech Project. BTP Supervisor: Prof. Manohar Khushalani
BTP Students: Sejal Kumar / Aysha Fazilath / Rahul Patwardhan / Vyshakh Dharan
Video Input: Utsav Rohilla / Nitin Yadav / Aditya Diundi

This OneVorld video informs us about the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Scheme by NHPMC which aims to provide secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to poor and vulnerable families. NHPMC was launched in 2018. Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage up to 5 lakh rupees per family per year. The scheme is based on the entitlement decided on the basis of deprivation criteria in the SECC. This scheme provides cooperative federalism and flexibility to states. The major impacts of the scheme will be providing, quality health, quality medication, timely treatments, improvements in health outcomes, patient satisfaction, improvement in the quality of life. In addition, the unmet needs of the population which remained hidden due to lack of financial resources will be catered to.

NHPMC implements Ayushman Bharat Scheme which aims to provide secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to poor and vulnerable families. It was launched in 2018. The scheme is advised to be implemented by State Health Agencies. They can decide to implement this scheme through insurance companies or trusts.

The major impacts of this scheme is as follows –

1. Providing healthcare and monetary coverage of 5 lakhs for each family
2. Timely treatments and high patient satisfaction
3. Improvement in quality of life
4. Increase in employment opportunities

Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. A healthy nation is a prosperous nation.

BTP Students; Sejal Kumar / Aysha Fazilath / Rahul Patwardhan / Vyshakh Dharan
Video Input: Utsav Rohilla / Nitin Yadav / Aditya Diundi

It is Mahavir Jayanti today, one of the most important days in the Jain religious calendar. As the Jain community celebrates the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Mahavir by exchanging greetings on email or whatsApp messages, it seems Nature has taken upon itself to celebrate this auspicious day on a grand scale, Universal in nature. The Universe knows no geographical boundaries, hence the divine celebrations are playing out on the entire planet.

The Corona virus has mandated we rethink how we live, consume, and treat others. I will briefly mention only two principles that Lord Mahavir gave to the world that seem like a balm on the Corona-ed human soul.

The current state of the world is very appropriately reflected by the opening lines of Charles Dickens famous novel A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, …” It tells about a time of chaos, conflicts, and despair, as well as happiness. It, in fact, tells us about the time of extreme opposites without any in-betweens.

Something similar is unfolding on planet earth today.

As I sit pondering over the birth celebrations of Lord Mahavir since when I was a child, the images of community events where school-children performed plays and songs depicting the life of the Teerthankara, the liberated One, flash before my eyes. It was a time of community gathering, celebrations, much fun and socializing, followed by lots of sumptuous food eaten together. I recall with much nostalgia the annual speech I was asked to deliver, in English (at age 7 onwards, because I studied in a convent school!), on his life and principles. I knew by rote the main tenets of Jainism and Lord Mahavir’s three-fold path of Right Faith, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct. For many years it continued thus, and I could have rattled off the entire Four-fold or Eight-fold Path (they are different for ascetics and householders) without pausing for a breath. Yet there was no deeper thought, no time for reflection on the teachings of this noble, liberated soul. Posters and banners proclaiming the lofty tenets of the world’s most non-violent religion were put up all over town, but how much was followed by people is anyone’s guess. As indeed it often happens in most religions.

However, today, as I sit locked up in my house – Coronavirus indeed has locked up indoors practically all humanity, I am having some Eureka moments! Yes, the wisdom of all my Mahavir-Jayanti speeches, scripted by people more learned than a 7-year-old, is gradually dawning on me. I feel the lessons humans have failed to learn by volition are being taught by Nature, à la science experiments demonstrated in a lab. Humans are perforce made to sit back while Nature takes over and teaches. The coping stone of Mahavir’s teaching has been “Live and Let Live,” kindness to all beings and cruelty towards none. He even went to tell humanity that plants too have a life, and therefore deserving mindfulness from humans.

The fact that the deadly Corona virus most probably originated from wet animal markets in China has forced mankind to rethink cruelty towards animals. In India most slaughter houses are shut, people are shunning animal flesh, eating healthy and vowing to continue with their kindness towards other living creatures. Humans are not the only inheritors of this beautiful planet. We have encroached in most downright manner, the habitat of birds and animals, cocking a snook at the principle of “Live and Let Live”. Now when the world, locked up behind closed doors, sees animals hitherto unseen on the roads roam freely, does it realize that in our race “to live” we forgot to “let others live”. We need to let the animals and birds, the air and water, sky and earth breathe and own their space in the universe. Our rapacious ways and the choices we make will not only kill them, but spell our own doom. In fact, we can live only if we let others live. The choice we had in “Live and Let Live” is long gone.

Another important tenet that Mahavir gave to humanity, and my most favorite one, is the beautiful precept of Aparigraha, or, in simplistic terms non-attachment to material things. Aparigraha is one of the virtues in Jainism, and one that was uncannily prescient when Mahavir expounded it more than 2,500 years ago. It is also one of the five vows that both householders and ascetics must observe. Non-Violence, Non-Stealing, and Truthfulness we all believe are necessary virtues, but when it comes to Aparigraha we are neither aware nor believe the same is very important virtue in higher pursuit of life.

Aparigraha is the virtue of non-possessiveness, non-grasping or non-greediness. Aparigraha is the opposite of parigrah, and refers to keeping the desire for possessions to what is necessary or important, depending on one’s life-stage and context.

In my current ruminative mood, I was wondering that the end of winter is usually the time for big-ticket sales in all shopping malls as well as online commerce sites. At this time of the year, one would have seen teeming crowds stocking up on “discounted goods,” unmindful of their need. But forced lock-downs the world over have seen people managing with what they have and no one is any the worse for it. When man‘s avarice could not be checked by any wise person’s advice, Nature had to step in and teach mankind a lesson it is not likely to forget any time soon. Instead of hoarding unwanted stuff, most people are decluttering their homes and spring-cleaning wardrobes. The world is seeing the benefit of minimalist life. This minimalist lifestyle, or Aparigraha was preached by Lord Mahavir at a time when the world probably was still unspoilt by abundance of material possessions. While excess consumption leads to bigger houses, faster cars, fancier technology, and cluttered homes, it never brings happiness. This, the world is being forced to see in the times of Corona virus. “A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient,” said Alexander, the great Greek conqueror about himself just before he died.

We don’t need a full house, we need a full life. This is going to be a life-changing resolution. Lord Mahavir’s other teachings of Forgiveness, Compassion and Sacrifice are as pertinent in the new world order when there seems to be a tectonic shift in human consciousness. Of that later!