NO, this post isn’t about COVID-19. The title is inspired by “Love in the Time of Cholera” by  Gabriel García Márquez. Not that this situation feels like a love story, but hey, what’s the harm in trying to find a silver lining amongst all this lockdown negativity?!

Yes, India is currently under lockdown. A country of 1.3 billion trying to quarantine itself to avoid the pandemic to spread any further. It’s going to be very tough but as always We Shall Overcome. I am reminded of this song time and time again.

I have been seeing many news reports on the utter lack of preparedness in our country and realize human life in India has never been on the governments’ priority list. Whether it be any man-made or a natural disaster, our national response has been one of apathy. It’s been true of all governments, previous and present.

Not that I am a clairvoyant, but I think that this situation would play out for at least the next 15 to 18 months. The poor have literally nothing to eat and it is going to get worse from here before it gets better.

Honestly speaking, for the first time I believe MMT or spending our way out of this crisis seems like a feasible solution. It’s the best alternative available and probably would be the quickest way to achieve some semblance of growth like situation.

Let’s see if what our government has declared can actually translate to an actual improvement in the situation on the ground!