Towards True Development

Neha was reflecting on the events in the recent past and the repercussions. It all started very quietly and in a casual manner. Like all other fellow Indians, Neha also has been following the media coverage about Corona Virus’s wrath on Wuhan, and Italy’s struggle against the Virus. A lot of information was being shared in WhatsApp groups, some in a lighter vein and some on serious note A smile broke out on her face when she remembers the message that said ”what 200 years in India couldn’t do, Covid-19 has done- teach Namaste to British” accompanied by a video showing Prince Charles greeting dignitaries with a Namaste. There were prompt responses with “Namaste” and “Thumbs up” Emojis. Within no time things turned ugly and serious for China, Italy and the disease started spreading across the globe. 

 Call for a total lock down for 21 days by the Prime Minister of India, on 24^th of March, shook Neha to wake up and realize that the threat is at the door step, like all other citizens did. Today is 5^th day of lock down and everyone has settled down to a routine, with determination and composure . Neha could not help but become aware of certain pleasant developments around. She lived in a quiet and peaceful gated community in the suburbs of a Hyderabad. Even here to her surprise, the noise levels and dust pollution had come down drastically and a quiet prevailed, amidst which birds of different kinds could be seen and heard. Few peacocks were spotted in the neighbourhood too!

She realized hardly any cars or two wheelers were plying. The entire situation transported her memory to her child hood days, some 50 odd years ago when hardly few people owned two wheelers let alone four wheelers. In the upper middle class neighbourhood in Hyderabad where her joint family of 23 odd members lived, out of about 40 bungalows, only one family owned a car. The owner, a chief engineer in PWD was fondly called engineer uncle and their house was referred to as car house. What a transformation from then to now!

In our rush towards development, we have been abusing and hurting nature, unknowingly or other wise. This lockdown has given nature time to heal a bit and recoup. The birds dare to come out and making their sweet and melodious voices heard. We are having an opportunity to have a first hand experience of the negative impact we make on our nature, and take it for granted. Is increasing the productivity and consuming the productions year after year, without realizing that we are depleting the resources proportionately and way beyond acceptable, a mark of economic growth and development? Certainly, a very difficult question to answer but hopefully this break should be a beginning to find a better meaning for development.

Scientific studies have found that Corona Virus which originally thrives in animals could have entered humans due to genetic mutations and eventually gained power to play havoc with human race. If a virus is endowed with the ability to change for its continued existence, resulting in the possibility of pushing human civilization back by several years, surely human beings with all their superior intelligence, can bounce back while also aligning their lifestyle to align with sustainable development.

Slowly Neha came out of her thoughts and decided to live in that moment and enjoy the symphony that the birds played in her backyard, with a smile and happiness on her face.