Suspicious world

China was struggling with corona just a month ago. Now it is opening up the city of Wuhan. Wow, what gives the confidence to China for such a bold move? Has it learnt to tame the wildfire? Did it find a way to cure the patients? How come there is no spread in Shanghai or Beijing when rest of the world is in the middle of a storm? Rest of the World is watching China suspiciously.

What is happening in the stock market? Last week’s relief rally is real? Or is it a bull trap? Investors all over the world are watching equity markets suspiciously.

India has announced lots of measures and freebies to the poor. But the migrant poor are leaving the cities to their rural natives in whatever vehicle they could find. If they aren’t lucky, they have resumed the hundred miles walk in desperation. They are suspicious of what Govt can do for them.

My friends from my native place are posting on Facebook asking people from Bangalore not to return to native. They are suspicious that these people would bring the deadly virus along with them. Sons of the soil aren’t welcome in their homeland.

I go for walk just around my house. Though hardly people are there, the one or two I encounter have suspicious look on their faces. Maybe for right reason.

There is dust in the air. I sneeze. I suspect myself if I have become a fresh victim.

World after Corona

The way we live and work are being changed with the onslaught of corona virus. My attempt to see what’s ahead is here.

1. Bio-weapons: Covid-19 has successfully demonstrated what damages a bio-weapon can do. All the war weapons of the past like fighter aircraft’s and missiles seem less damaging and more expensive now. And the healthcare workers are the new age soldiers.

2. Rivalry between US and China: This has not remained just a trade war now with allegations of Trump that corona is a Chinese virus. Expect that their relationship get worse before getting any better.

3. Pandemic preparation become election issue: What do you think the voters in Italy and Spain would do in next elections? For that matter, citizens of any country would be worried if their Govt.’s are not capable of handling pandemic effectively.

4. End of Centralised manufacturing hubs: Will China remain a manufacturing factory for the world? I don’t think so as businesses would look at reducing supply chain risks for the right reasons in the changed world.

5. Social distancing to remain even after Corona: You would pack a sanitizer into your bag when you step out, say “Namaste” instead of an handshake and take care before eating out etc. as these precautionary measures would become part of your daily routine.

6. Work from home and reduced business travel: Whether companies like it or not, they will be forced to embrace work from home else they wouldn’t be able to attract right talent. And business travel would be limited to only essential and necessary cases.

7. Abroad shine is gone: Going abroad for education or vacation or such reasons would take a back step with getting visa’s becoming tougher and it is seen as a risky affair now.

8. Why spend a weekend at mall?: Go out, shop, watch a movie, eat out and return late in the night to home. If that was you were doing before during weekends, likely you would reduce doing some or all of this. Good for Netflix and Amazon and bad for mall keepers.

9. More gratitude than complaints: I assume people would become grateful for being alive and not killed by some tiny virus. We would understand the Nature as a force and it’s ability to rebalance things so we would become humble.

Every revolution has brought a societal change, killed few industries while giving raise to others, marking a permanent shift in our approach towards life. I consider the lessons from this pandemic are no less. Hope the humanity rekindles and steps up the challenge successfully.